I Don't Know You Anymore!
by Autumn Sacrifice
Summary: Sango, what’s wrong with you? Why are you acting so strangely? Not that I don’t like this new personality of yours... What happens when Sango becomes... bold, to say the least? Written in Miroku’s POV!
1. Men Suck

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Summary: _Sango, what's wrong with you? Why are you acting so strangely? (Not that I don't like this new personality of yours...) What happens when Sango becomes... bold, to say the least? Written in Miroku's POV!_  
This is all written in Miroku's point of view!

Disclaimer: It's sad that I must put this here, since I'm writing this on But I'll say it anyway, I don't own Inuyasha, if I did, Inuyasha would be one sad puppy.

_I have updated this page, hopefully it's a bit more understandable for those who didn't quite the POV that I was using. Sorry for the confusion, enjoy!_

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Chapter 1:  
Men Suck

SLAP!

"Great, he's at it again." Kagome sighed as she heard my screams coming from the middle of the village. "When will he ever learn?"

"Feh! Never." Inuyasha laughs as he walks over to Kagome's side.

"Though I have to admit, it's fun to watch him get beat up by women other than Sango!" Shippou chirps, sitting on Kagome's shoulder.

It was a beautiful summer day in Kaedes village, the sky was clear and Sango looked as beautiful as ever! Ahem, anyway, Kagome had just gotten back from her time and no one, except for Inuyasha, of course was in a rush to leave, so we relaxed. Kagome and Inuyasha fought, Shippou finally had the chance to play with other children, Sango spent time with Kirara, and I well... enjoyed the sights.

Kagome scanned the village. "Inuyasha, where is Sango? I haven't seen her for a while."

"Uh, hold on." Inuyasha sniffed the air, one of his many dog-like habits. "She's somewhere over there." He pointed in the direction of the well leading back to Kagome's era.

"Really?" Kagome inquired, "At the well?"

Inuyasha sniffed again. "Yup, it's her..." Inuyasha's voice softened as a new smell intruded his nostrils. "Kagome, I smell salt too... I think that she's crying."

"Oh no... Miroku, you baka!" She exclaimed, as if I could hear her. "You don't know how much pain she goes through!" She collected herself and turned to the half demon sitting next to her. "Inuyasha, I'm going to talk to her, we'll be back soon, but don't tell Miroku. He usually makes it worse when he tries to comfort her." With that, she was off to the well, and off to comfort Sango yet again.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Lucky Kagome... she can just run off any time she wants! All she has to do is go down this well and bam, she's back in her own time where no one else can follow her." Sango let more tear drops fall into the deep well, splashing in the dirt creating a tiny puddle just below.

"That's not true." A comforting voice rung from behind her, causing her to jump at the suddenness. "Inuyasha follows me... not at first, but he most likely counts down the seconds as soon as I leave. You know how he sneaks off to get me if I'm late."

Sango swings around, almost falling into the well; Kagome grabs her hand keeping her on the ground. "I'm sorry Kagome..." Sango quietly begins. "I... shouldn't have said that."

Kagome bends down and puts her hand on Sango's shoulder. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You're just upset; I would be too if Inuyasha were to..." She trails off, remembering all the times that Inuyasha snuck off with Kikyou.

Sango returns the attempt of comfort by placing her hand on Kagome's, which was still resting on her shoulder. "He still loves you."

"Well Miroku still loves you!" Kagome declared. Why couldn't either of them see this? Each realizing the others silver lining, yet she couldn't see that the man she loved actually did love her back.

The two girls sat by the well, now next to each other, both moping about how their love life was going. "Men suck." They finally said, simultaneously.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It wasn't until early sunset when both girls came back, both were sad, confused, and grumpy.

"Where've 'ya been?!" Inuyasha yelled when they walked into the hut. "You said you'd be..."

"OSUWARI!" Kagome didn't feel like hearing his complaints today.

"If only Miroku had one of those..." Sango moaned as she watched me chase after the girls in the village. "Baka." She added under her breath.

Both girls moaned heavily and walked into the hut in silence.

"What's wrong?" Shippou asked as they walked into the hut that they were staying at.

"Men suck." They both said again.

"... I kind of take that offensively, 'ya know!" Shippou said, rather than complained, puffing his chest out and lifting his nose to the air with his eyes closed. He placed his hands on his hips as if he were a muscular man.

"Oh Shippou, you're so cute." Kagome said as she pat his head. "Don't hurt yourself, kay?"

"She's right." Sango bent down to look Shippou in the eye. "You're adorable!" She kissed him on the forehead and followed Kagome into the hut.

"... Cute? Adorable? Great, I'm Kirara." He moped. Kirara transformed into her fierce version and growled at Shippou, causing the little kitsune to jump. After she transformed back and went after her owner, he added. "I'm not EVEN Kirara."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That night, I returned late and received menacing glares from the two females. "H... hello, ladies. Nice evening, isn't it?"

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms. Sango simply stared at me with her beautiful eyes, but I wished that they held anything but what they were holding at that moment. Sango's eyes were holding sadness and a hint of regret. Our eyes locked for a moment, before she turned her head as Kagome had.

Inuyasha had been scolded about five times that night by the two women, so he had slept in a near by tree and mumbled about a certain girl from the future. Shippou seemed to be avoiding the two girls as well and slept in a tiny futon under the tree where Inuyasha was residing.

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Okay, there you go! That's chapter one! Chapter two is coming up right now, so review or just wait until you read the next chapter, as long as you review:D 


	2. What Harm Can a Flower Do?

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara, or Kaede!! I simply own this little idea (though probably not...) and the cute little flower that you'll see in this chapter!

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Chapter 2:  
What Harm Could a Flower Do?

Well we were off again, in search of the Shikon No Tama. The girls seemed to be acting strangely that day, as did Shippou. All three of them were moping along as Inuyasha and I led them. I couldn't bear seeing Sango so sad so I... tried to cheer her up.

"HENTAI! How dare you!" It wasn't a slap mark that hand made contact with the my cheek, but Sango's Hiraikotsu... on my head. I dropped my Shakujo on the ground, soon following it in a loud THUMP

Kagome, who was also getting tired of my ways, helped Sango with the pummeling and began to kick the me as I was helplessly lying on the ground.

"Inuyasha! Help OW me!" I tried to get up, seeing that Inuyasha wasn't getting involved. It was too bad that the rocks that I thought that I was grabbing onto her the two girl's bottoms.

"YOU HENTAI!!" Their screams seemed to shake the ground, causing the birds to fly out of the trees and poor Inuyasha to whimper because of his sensitive ears. The thrashing would have continued for days if it hadn't been for a strange thing that randomly showed up.

"Uh... guys..." Inuyasha began, staring at a giant red plant. He knelt down to look at it, seeing as it was only three feet tall. "Guys... what's this?" No one stopped their fighting so he stood in the middle of us. "HEY! LISTEN TO ME DAMMIT!" Finally getting our attention, he walked back over to the small plant and pointed to it. "Will someone tell me what the hell this is before I get mad?!" I simply hid behind a tree in attempt to keep away from anymore beatings.

"As if you aren't already." Kagome said, which would have been meant as a joke if she weren't still angry at him. She bent down next to him to take a closer look at the plant. "I dunno, it's weird, though. Look at those markings..." This was true; there were strange blue markings that seemed to form a circle around the top part of the plant.

Sango and Shippou, curiosity overwhelming them, went to look at the plant. "That red is so... dark. I've never seen a plant with that color before." Sango touched a leaf on the plant, pulling her hand back in pain. "Agh! What... happened?" She asked, bewildered. Pulling her hand in front of her, Sango's eyes widened.

"What?" Inuyasha yelled, obviously annoyed at the tajiya. He took her hand and examined it, noticing the blood dripping from her fingertips to her palm, falling into a crimson puddle on the ground. At a closer look, Inuyasha could see strange markings forming a complete circle if Sango were to pull her fingers together, as well as markings going across the top part of her hand; a part that he knew didn't even touch the flower. He was too concerned to realize the similarity between the markings on the plant and Sango's hand. "What the hell's goin' on here?" He whispered, clutching the girls hand tighter.

"Inu... yasha... you're hurting my... hand." She whispered, aside from the burning effect that the flower left her, Inuyasha was making it worse by squeezing it.

"S-sorry." Inuyasha released his grip and picked her up. "We're going back to the village; Kaede might know what's goin' on with her hand. Kagome, meet up with us there, I'll go ahead." Before Kagome could respond, he was off in a blur of red.

After a few moments of gathering my thoughts, I went to stand by Kagome. "We should go. Kirara!" The feline automatically transformed and Kagome got on, followed by me.

"Do you think that she'll be alright?" Kagome asked on the way to the village. No response. "I said: DO YOU THINK SHE'LL BE ALRIGHT!?" Now yelling over the wind, she slapped me on the head to get my attention.

"Yes." Was all she heard in response, I was too consumed in my thoughts to even begin to listen to anyone else's concerns.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ai, child. I don't know." Kaede sat beside a worried Sango. "You seem fine; I'm not sure what that plant did to you."

"I was afraid of that." She replied, looking down at her fingers. "The pain went away before we even got here... I don't feel weird or anything, it's just the markings."

Inuyasha, angry as usual walked in. "Well if you're not sick then we'll keep on traveling."

"OSUWARI!" With that horrible word being said, Inuyasha fell face first into the ground, causing a small cloud of dirt to rise.

"I don't see Kagome anywhere." I was sitting in my usual position, legs crossed and my Shakujo lying across my chest.

"I'm right here you baka!" We heard Kagome's detached voice again.

I looked outside to find her sitting against a tree. "Oh, I'm sorry Kagome. Would you like to come and join us?" I flashed my best boyish smile her way, Shakujo in hand.

She stuck her nose to the air and crossed her arms. "No thanks! You may try something on me, hentai!"

"Kagome, that was an accident! I already told you! I was just trying to stand and well..."

"My butt just happened to be there?! HENTAI!" Kagome picked up the nearest thing and threw it square in my face, unfortunately for me; it was Kagome's newly packed giant yellow backpack.

Inuyasha, now standing dug into her backpack. "Ha! I knew you brought it!" He pulled out ramen and waved it in the air as if it were some trophy.

"You baka! Why do I have to keep traveling with a stupid demon and a perverted monk?" Kagome walked up and took the ramen from Inuyasha's clawed hand and placed it back into her backpack. "We're staying here another night, just in case Sango's hand..."

"Ah!" Sango clutched her hurt hand and squeezed her eyes shut. I dropped my Shakujo, ran to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sango!" I yelled, my eyes wide.

"My hand is... hurting again..." She said, turning to face me. She let go of the injured hand and showed it to me. "The red marks are turning blue!" She yelled.

I grabbed her hand and stared at the markings, it was true. The dark red was turning purple, then to the light blue that we saw on the flower. Before I could say anything, the blue surfaced and Sango fell limp. "Sango!?" I yelled, turning to see her face. It was expressionless, her eyes were shut and her mouth hung open. "Sango!" I yelled, checking her pulse, which I found was normal.

"What's wrong?" Shippou whimpered, tears brimming his eyes.

Kagome walked beside me, Sango still lying in my arms. She checked her pulse as well, and her expression became soft as she realized that Sango was unconscious. "She's fine." She whispered, trying to comfort Shippou.

I laid Sango back onto a futon, careful not to wake her. I dearly hoped that Sango would be okay, but how could I cure her hand? I turned to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha." I said. He turned his head toward me and I continued, "That plant is what did this to Sango... I'm not sure how or why, but we must find a way to cure it."

"So whatta you want me ta do?" Inuyasha walked toward me with annoyance. "Should I just kill the plant?"

"I don't think that you should do that!" Kagome cut in, stepping between Inuyasha and I. "The plant may have done this, but it may also hold a cure. Maybe I should go back to my time and check the library."

Inuyasha and I looked at her, puzzled. "What?" We both asked simultaneously.

"Um... a place with all kinds of books on a lot of things." She corrected herself. "I can try to identify the plant."

Inuyasha stood. "So what am I supposed to do?" He yelled. "I don't wanna just sit here."

"Well you can't go back with me..." Kagome trailed. After a few seconds she found her voice again. "You'll just have to stay here." She said, grabbing her bag and opening it. She pulled out many different kinds of futuristic foods that she had brought with her. "Here's some stuff for you guys to eat while I'm gone. I figure that since I'll have to go to school, I'll be gone for three days."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Three days... no more! I'll come get-"

Kagome put a hand on his shoulder and looked kind for the first time that day. "I know." She picked up her almost empty backpack and started out. "Three days, guys! Behave yourself, Miroku!" She yelled behind her, giving my name a bit of a sting to it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Later that afternoon, I still sat at the unconscious Sango's side, she had missed lunch that day and I assumed that she was hungry, but decided against waking her. While staring at the woman in front of me, I let my thoughts consume me. 'Why was she acting so strangely today?' I asked myself. 'And come to think of it, Kagome seemed to be acting strangely as well. I guess it started last night, after I-' It dawned on me, regret now filled my body. 'Is she angry with me for flirting with those village women? I could very well understand why, I guess. Even Inuyasha seems to get annoyed with it. But why has she been holding that anger with her for so long?' My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden groan coming from Sango. I checked her hand to see if the markings were acting up again, but they weren't. They were still red and she still seemed fine.

"Miroku..." She whispered, her eyes still closed. She must have been dreaming, but I answered anyway.

"Yes, Sango?" I replied, leaning in closer to hear - if any - a response.

None ever came; the only thing that happened was a single tear falling from her eye. I took my index finger and whipped the tear away, letting my finger sit on her delicate cheek. I slowly rubbed my fingers down her cheek bone and toward her lips before retrieving it. 'Is she crying because of me?' I asked myself. No other tears came and no other noises were made, I just sat in silence, waiting for the Tajiya to awaken.

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Grr... That's so bad!! Oh well, that's two chapters for you so you should be happy... hopefully. I will not give up on this fanfict! I just need reviews so please review! Flames not welcome, constructive criticism is welcome! I want to say that this'll be updated by Friday... but school gets in the way so we'll see. :D 


	3. Awakening and Questions

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Inuyasha, you'd think that people would know that by now...

I'm sorry... I'm a bad mousie! I tried to finish this by Friday, but I found errors in the first two chapters (re-read if you wish, they mainly had to do with the POV) and I had a lot to do this past week, and weeks to come. With testing, final exams, end of the year projects, dances, field trips, and choir concerts, I'll be very busy. (And that's just school!! T.T) Plus writers block... so early in the story, too!! And has anyone realized that wouldn't let people log in on Saturday? Or maybe it's just me... So I know those are pathetic excuses, but I truly am sorry. I'm grumpy as well, and I can tell that this isn't sounding too apologetic, and I'm sorry for that too...

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Chapter 3:  
Awakening and Questions

I sat all throughout the day and Sango still hadn't woken up. Getting tired and rather bored, I strolled outside into the faint sunset. I stood up and stretched, picking up my Shakujo that was lying at my side.

"Goin' to flirt with the village women again, houshi?" A familiar voice was coming from the trees, and despite my annoyance, I smiled.

"Of course not," I looked up and saw Inuyasha's silver hair through the branches of the tree. "Not while Sango is doing so poorly, what do you take me for, anyway?"

"A hentai." He plainly replied as he crossed his arms, stepping to the side giving me a better view of him. "An as soon as she's better, you'll be goin' ta flirt with 'em."

My anger was now visible, but I tried to keep my voice calm. I began walking off, pretending to ignore the statement. "Inuyasha, may I suggest using Kagome's books to learn proper grammar?" I spoke behind my shoulder, hearing Inuyasha's own insults from behind me. I partially listened for more mistakes to point out, stopping at the word "aint." "Ah-ah, Inuyasha, watch that grammar." Tired of fighting with the half-demon, I began walking again, not really paying attention to where I was going.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It wasn't long before I found myself in the middle of the village, and strangely lost. I had been through this village so many times before, so why should I be lost? I looked around, trying to spot something out that I would recognize, but didn't see anything. 'Maybe I was paying too much attention to the women after all...' And as if my thoughts had set off a trigger, a familiar looking woman ran in front of me.

"Houshi-sama! Houshi-sama! I thought that you were gone already!" With her rather high-pitched voice, other women noticed me and circled around me.

All I heard was "Houshi-sama! Houshia-sama!" and I tried stepping back, but my back hit a wall of village women with expectant faces. I flinched for a second, 'This is much worse than fighting demons!' I yelled to myself, finding a gap in the crowd. The rings on my Shakujo hit each other as I went through the gap.

"I'm sorry ladies, but I have to run!" I ran out of the village and into the forest, finally escaping the rabid women after me. With a large sigh, I slowed my pace and began walking through the forest, dodging trees and roots along the way.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I... think I'm lost again." I spoke aloud, glancing around. I seemed to be letting my thoughts run off lately, sending me to places unknown mentally... and apparently, physically. I walked forward for only minutes more to see the Bone-Eaters Well... as well as someone slumped beside it. The sky was cloudy and suggested rain, and little light shown on the spot. "Kagome?" I yelled to the figure, running ahead, but got no response.

I reached the well and stopped mid step as I saw the woman sitting by the well. "Sango?" I whispered, causing her to flinch. Her marked hand glow a bright red as she looked up.

"No." She spoke knives at me. Her voice alone was enough to send me to my knees, and then her face held such anger and sorrow... toward me.

I couldn't speak, but I moved closer to her, now only a foot away. Finding my voice, I asked what I didn't want to hear the answer to. "Sango, tell me, are you still angry over the other day?" I bent down and reached for her hand. She jerked it away. She was leaned against the well, avoiding my face. "Sango..."

"What?" She finally spoke, her voice was now clam and even, which heavily contrasted with her angry face. There was a long pause."Either talk or leave, houshi-sama. In case you have forgotten, I'm still upset with you."

I turned my head to better see her face, but she turned it the other way. "Sango, I'm sorry." I was completely puzzled at that point; Sango wasn't one to hold a grudge toward me over something so... regular. Then a thought occurred to me. 'Too regular?' I asked myself. I sat beside her with my Shakujo at my side, leaning on the well. My cursed hand was cupped over her marked one. I chuckled at the sight.

"What?" She asked, turning her head towards me and pulling her hand away once more. Her annoyance temporarily forgotten.

"Oh, it's nothing." I said, looking into the sky. "It's probably going to rain soon, and Kagome won't be back for a while. We should probably get back." I stood and extended my hand, which she had surprisingly taken.

Sango stood, her marked hand in mine, and looked toward the village. "Yes, I suppose." Her hand glowed blue now but she didn't react.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked carefully, looking at her face. It was pale, and I could tell that she was probably starving.

"Yes..." She looked toward her hand. "That's... odd." I let go of her hand, picking up my Shakujo on the grass.

"You're sure that you're not in pain?" I asked again. She looked up at me, a strange smile plastered on her face... it looked... familiar... but not from Sango. Where had I seen such a smile before? She grabbed my arm.

"Of course, Miroku!" She exclaimed, clinging to my arm. I tried freeing myself from her grasp, but with no success. I looked down at her with a puzzled look as I felt rain droplets fall. "Come, my love. We should get back before we get sick!" With that, she led my puzzled form to the hut and began preparing dinner for her and I – seeing as how Inuyasha and Shippou were still gone.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The rain was now pounding on the roof, yet I was always at ease during rainy nights like this. I shifted my position, setting my Shakujo to my side, still waiting for Inuyasha to return. Sango had been staring at me for the past hour now, and even worse, when I acknowledged it, she continued staring instead of blushing or turning her head away like usual.

Finally, I heard Kirara's mew outside. I went into the rain and picked up the small cat on the ground. "Hello, Kirara. Where have you two been?" I asked, seeing Shippou walk up to the hut.

Shippou ran inside, soaked. I followed him and sat back in my spot, Kirara now in Sango's lap. "We were with Inuyasha..."

"Shut up, kid!" Inuyasha was wet as well, and dried off in a dog like fashion, getting Sango and I soaked in excess water. "We were just in the village and got pre-occupied." He stated plainly, grabbing a cup of instant noodles left by Kagome. "You guys eat already? Shippou's not hungry." He began preparing the ramen as I responded. "Yes."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sleep refused to come later that night, so I sat staring into the now calm rain. Sango refused to sleep as well, sitting beside me silently. The marks on her hand were now red again, and I realized that I only actually saw it change once. She turned to face me, as if fighting on whether to say something or not.

"Yes?" I asked. She hadn't spoken a word since I found her at the well. She gave no response, her mouth still open. I decided to ask her a question. "Why were you at the well earlier?"

"Why were you?" She asked defensively. I paused a moment, surprised at yet another change of tone.

"Well, I went into the village and got lost," I didn't think that it was smart telling her about the women. "and then I went into the forest and got lost." I found myself fighting blood rising to my cheeks, and as usual, won the battle.

She chuckled slightly, her hand now blue. "I wouldn't expect you to get lost, houshi-sama." She looked out into the rain again, that strange smile on her face.

I was careful to choose my words, only Buddha knows what had been causing that smile that was now getting a little scary. "I was deep in thought."

She leaned on my shoulder, closing her eyes. "As was I." She whispered barely over the rainfall. I was stunned for a moment, but eventually wrapped my arms around her slender form as she shifted into my lap. We fell into a quiet sleep that night as she lay in my embrace.

I didn't know why her hand was changing colors, or why it was even marked. I didn't know where Inuyasha had gone, and didn't know why Sango went out to the well. I didn't know what was causing this behavior in Sango, or even what she was thinking about. I didn't know anything about the strange flower and how it did... whatever it did to Sango. There was so much that I didn't know, but for once, it didn't matter. All I knew was that I had her in my arms, each of us enjoying the company. And, maybe it just made up for my lack of knowledge. Or maybe what I didn't know was for the better.

* * *

Hm, I don't know if I'm keeping the Miroku POV throughout the story... simply because... well, Miroku isn't there when Kagome goes back to her era. And I need to write what goes on when she's there. (Quite a bit...) -blushes- I'm so blonde sometimes. Anyway, I would like my (WONDERFUL) reviewers to tell me, should I:  
A). Keep the Miroku POV throughout and ignore the fact that he isn't there  
B). Keep the POV but change it in the scenes when he isn't there (I'd warn you before the section started)  
C). Take it out all together  
I think I know what I'm going to do, but I'll wait for people to vote before changing/keeping it. Thanks to all that reviewed! I'm so happy that people like my story! And thank you, Ru-Doragon, I see your point and will work on that. ;P 

Please review! Even if you don't have much to say, at least let me know if you like this! And once again, sorry for not having this up! The next chapter will be up within a week tops, and I'll try to keep that promise for all of them. But I've been having writers block as well as life, so reviews will absolutely help me get this going at a fast pace. Give me ideas or suggestions, I do read all reviews so I'll try to use some ideas in order to keep this going! Arigatou!


	4. If Only It Were Mood Swings

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: Mouseth no own Inu... mouseth do own Mountain Dew.

Gosh darn it! We have been doing all of these gay reviews for testing this past week, and since I write a lot of my story in class, I couldn't write much. So even though it took twice as long, here is the next chapter. (T.T I'm still suffering from writers block, so it's not that good.) I'm on Spring Break so I'll try to get a chapter or two up before I go back to school. No promises though.

* * *

Chapter 3:  
If Only It Were Mood Swings

The next morning when I awoke, Sango was still comfortably in my arms. Sometimes I would find myself staring at her sleeping form, enjoying her peaceful face while I could.

I heard a pounding outside and stiffened, embracing her tighter. As I noticed that it was just rain, I shifted slightly and allowed myself to relax, letting my arms loosen around her again.

I gently picked up her marked hand, which was set in her lap. 'Sango...' I stroked her hand with my thumb. The red marks set plainly amongst her skin, trailing up her fingers. I never really thought to pay too much attention to the marks before, but now that I looked more closely, I noticed that they resembled different leaves, vines, and branches. 'This is all because of the plant...' My thoughts were interrupted by a moan.

"Mnnn... She slowly pulled her hand out of my loose one; her eyes were still closed. She turned slightly and buried her face in my robes. After a few moments I felt her yawn and lift her head up.

"Good morning, Sango." I spoke quietly but she still jumped in surprise. Her familiar-looking blush rose to her cheeks as she looked up at me.

"Uh..." She put her arms between us, her hands on my chest, she pushed herself back. "I... um... I..." She flushed more violently and hid her red face in her hands. I wasn't sure of what she was saying, but it sounded something like "What happened?" Did she not remember? Yes, the night before was innocent, but I could see why she would be confused if she suddenly woke up in my arms.

"Um... Sango?" I tried to reach for her shoulder, but she pulled it away.

After a long pause, she finally spoke. "I'll go get breakfast!" She put on a false smile and turned to face me. Her face no longer held the blush that had been there seconds ago. She stood with her face away from me. "Come on, Kirara."

Kirara mewed and leaped into Sango's arms and they left as I stared with a confused look on my face.

It wasn't long before Inuyasha jumped from a tree, landing inches away from a mud puddle. "Feh!" He walked barely inside the hut and smirked. "I'll bet you didn't expect that, huh Houshi?!"

I still stared outside as Sango walked silently through the rain, and out of sight. I frowned. It was true, I didn't expect it... But then again, _when_ was Sango _ever_ predictable?

Inuyasha stood irritably in front of me, he didn't like being ignored. "Hello?" He crossed his arms, keeping his angry tone. "You need to make up your mind! Do you wanna grope her or do you want to be with her?" For once... Inuyasha was making sense, despite the bad grammar. Sango wouldn't allow herself to be with me unless I changed. So maybe _that_ was the reason she reacted the way she did... I wasn't sure.

Shippou, who I didn't even realize was awake, joined in. "You're one to talk!" He jumped on top of Inuyasha's folded arms and stood so his face aligned with Inuyasha's. He looked into the half demons eyes. "Why don't _you_ make up _your_ mind about _Kagome_?! She's waiting for you to say it!! At least Miroku knows who he loves!" Shippou did have a point there, during times like this he sounded much smarter than Inuyasha.

Inuyasha dropped the kitsune and pulled him up by his head with his knuckles. "Why don't _you_ shut up?!" He yelled, pulling Shippou up higher. "This isn't even about you!"

"Ahhg! Miroku... help me!!" Shippou yelled, trying to pry Inuyasha's knuckles away from his head.

I picked up my Shakujo and slammed it on top of Inuyasha's head, causing his ears to flatten and the release of Shippou. "That was for Shippou. And this..." I hit him again, lighter. "is for harassing me about Sango."

Shippou ran to my heel and I walked outside. "Shippou, stay here or go with Keade. I have to deal with something." Shippou whined as I walked off with my jingling Shakujo in hand. I didn't have time to comfort him, though. I had to talk to Sango... no matter how hard it would be.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After spending quite a while searching, I still saw no sign of Sango. I thought of what I would say when I caught up to her, but I was confused myself. I'd never been in this situation before, and I never really thought that I would have to deal with one like this.

I was beginning to get impatient. 'Where is she?' I was lost in the village once again, but at least it had stopped raining. It was now mid day and I was regretting the fact that I hadn't eaten breakfast and skipped through lunch.

My bored mind began filing itself with questions. 'Why did she run out like this?' I asked myself, with no response. 'Why did she act so strangely last night? Why is her hand changing so..." I cut myself off. Her hand must have been the answer! I was so engulfed with the fact that she was accepting me... I forgot to look at what was going on. I began making a list in my head of when her hand changed. 'It changed from red to blue when we brought her back... she was in pain then.' I began walking a little slower. 'Then it changed when I found her at the well... when she used that strange smile.' I stopped. 'And last night... when I was with her.' Was this why she was acting so boldly? 'Maybe Sango doesn't really... actually...' I couldn't form the words... even in my own mind. Words like that could cause her even more pain... and no matter how much I wanted to hold her... no matter how much I wanted to kiss her and be with her... I couldn't. If I were to express myself to Sango, and then be sucked into the Wind Tunnel, I would cause her even more loss, and I couldn't do that to her. I would have to block all of this out of my mind until everything ended, but it was hard. Emotions such as this can't simply be ignored or blocked out, but they had to be. Impossible? Yes, most likely. But the impossible seemed to find its way into my life in more ways than none.

I raised my head in one last attempt to search for Sango. When I didn't see her, I turned around. Then something caught my eye over my shoulder. I looked and finally found her. "Sango!" I yelled, running her way. She looked over toward me and I slowed down until I reached her. She looked at me with puffy eyes, and I could tell that she was crying. I looked around for Kirara and saw no sight of the demon. "Sango... what's wrong? Where's Kirara?" She turned around.

"Go away!" She yelled, running toward the forest. I chased after.

"Sango! Tell me what's wrong!" I yelled back. She had a head start but I caught up to her. I was now running at her side. "Tell me what the problem is!"

She took a moment to respond. "You _are_ the problem!"

I slowed myself to a stop and let her run away. "I... I'm the problem?" I asked myself, dropping my Shakujo. "I'm the... problem...?" The wind blew past me, as if trying to push me down for hurting her so badly. I probably deserved it, after all.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I was getting close to the Bone-Eaters Well when I set my Shakujo in a bush. The rings were too loud and I knew that Sango would hear me if I were to try to sneak up on her with it in my hand. She went to the well often lately, why? I didn't know. I stepped out of the trees as I saw her figure slumped over the edge of the well. Her eyes were closed and tears silently found their way from her eyes to the dirt at the bottom of the well. I walked up behind her and crouched down, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She ignored me, so I spoke. "Please tell me what's wrong, Sango."

She ignored me for a bit longer, and I removed my hand and sat beside her, facing away from the well. Birds were chirping and the sky was somewhat clear. She found her voice but refused to look at me, so she kept her position. "I told you already."

"But what is it that is making you so upset, Sango? I can help you."

"How can you help me if _you're_ the problem?" Her voice ended with a hint of sarcasm.

"For one, I can change whatever it is that's bothering you."

She turned her head toward me and rested it on the edge of the well. Her face was still wet from the tears and her eyes were still upsettingly sad. "I doubt that."

"You can trust me."

"Really?" She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes. "I couldn't trust you with all of those village women! I can't leave you alone for five seconds or you'll run off chasing some girl! And I can't trust you to leave my BUTT alone!" Her eyes went wide and she shot up. "No..." She looked down at her hand, and my eyes followed her stare. "Not again!" Her hand was turning blue, but the red seemed to be coming back. It was as if the two colors were battling for control of the marks, and the blue won. Sango's eyes were no longer angry or scared, and she was sitting in front of me.

"Sango!" I grabbed her hand and noticed the marks rising up her arm. They stopped when they got half way up her forearm. "What's going on?"

I looked at her face and no sooner than I did I felt her lips brush against mine. She pulled back before I could respond to the sudden kiss, and I let go of her hand. "What...?"

She seemed happy and care free for the moment, but her hand changed again, back to red. "Stop it!!" She screamed, pulling her knees to her chest. "STOP!" Tears fell from her eyes and her hair tumbled over her shoulders, a few strands over her face.

It took a moment to come out of the state of shock, but I did. I moved closer to her. "What is going on here, Sango?" She gave into my questioning and looked up with tear-filled eyes.

"I'm... I'm not sure!" She fell back into her knees and began sobbing again. I didn't know what to do, so I acted on impulse. I pulled her closer to me and held her in an embrace. "Explain to me what you know." I whispered into her ear and hugged her tighter.

She lifted her head and whispered back. "I know how you will react."

"You _can_ trust me, Sango. I won't hurt you ever again."

She dried her eyes and found her way out of my arms. She hunched over and grabbed her knees once again. "Well, when I touched the flower, I seemed fine at first. But then this stinging ran throughout my hand. When I looked down at my hand, I saw that marks were forming in the spots where the stinging was." She paused. "While I slept, a voice was speaking with me. It was basically saying to go to you. It almost spoke in riddle..." She twisted her mouth. "No, it wasn't a riddle. But I couldn't completely understand what it was saying." She found my puzzled face. "It's confusing to me, too. But it was basically saying to go to you, like I said before."

I narrowed my eyes. "What exactly do you mean?"

She shot up and flung her arms. "What I said! I'm not sure either! But..." Her voice trailed off. She shifted and started over. "Anyway, when I woke up, I felt suddenly depressed and angry, so I came to the well. The voice began speaking to me again. This time she was yelling for me to go to you. When you came, I was still mad but somehow... I... lost control of my body. The voice seemed to take control and I couldn't do anything to stop her."

"Was that when we went back to the hut?" I asked.

"Yes, and I couldn't regain control all that night."

"Oh." I was severely disappointed, but there was nothing that I could do. Sango wasn't herself when that happened, and it probably meant that it would never happen. She began talking again.

"This morning when I woke up, I found myself in control again. I was still confused, though." Sango's voice dropped and she looked away from me. She seemed like she wanted to cry again. "It seems that whenever you come near, I can't hold her in anymore. I always hear her saying "give in... give in..." And when you found me _here again_... I almost lost control.

"I seem to be having better control of her, so I managed to stay myself." She stopped talking and looked up at me. "But I'm afraid that you will... try to..." She began blushing and her voice dropped barely above a whisper. "Take advantage... of this." She turned away in embarrassment. When I didn't speak, she turned back around.

"Sango, I won't do it." I couldn't look at her. "I won't ever take advantage of you, even when this is all over I refuse to do such a thing to you." I forced myself to look into her eyes. I felt her stare and it told me that she needed to be sure of what I was saying. "I promise that whenever you change, I will try my hardest to bring you back without taking advantage of it."

She blushed for a moment and then hugged me. "Oh thank you, Miroku!" She let go and sat in front of me. "Are you sure... that you promise?"

I nodded and stood. "You have my word."

"Thank you so much..." She jumped to her feet, but there still seemed to be some sadness in her movements.

I stood beside her. 'I can't believe that this is happening to me.' I couldn't think of anything to tell her, or anything to tell myself. I was angry with myself, and upset about everything that was happening. I didn't know what to do or think, so I got my Shakujo from the bush and walked back to the village in silence. Sango trailed far behind, and I felt her stare the whole way back.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When we reached the hut, we found Inuyasha, Shippou, and Kirara sleeping in the corner. Inuyasha seemed somewhat fatherly as he held Shippou in his lap, and sat Kirara at his side.

"How cute!" Sango whispered, walking up to Kirara. "I told Kirara to go back to the hut, because I wanted to be alone."

I smiled but Sango found that falseness in it. "Come out here with me." She whispered and took my hand, leading me away from the hut. She kept hold of my hand as she spoke. "Don't be too worried about this, Miroku. I'm having better control." She pulled her hand away.

"That's not it." I began walking back.

"Wait!" She ran after me and grabbed my arm. "Please don't tell Inuyasha!"

'I wouldn't dare tell him about something like this.' I spoke inwardly. I turned around. "I won't." I pulled my arm away and walked back to the hut. I was upset already, and Sango was the core of it. Before, it was just fun to joke around with her and, admittedly, grope her. But now that this... thing was taking control of her, I didn't know what to do. It was almost as if she were trying to seduce me, and this time I couldn't play along. If I were to give in to it, I would be breaking the promise that I made to Sango. She would never forgive me. The strong feelings that I held for her were one sided. I was torn in two and this time the person that brings joy to my life was the person that was causing me pain.

* * *

xD If I don't find some inspiration soon, I'll die! Well, I'm putting the next chapter up soon. It will be in Kagome's era and will NOT be in Miroku's POV. From now on I'll just alternate the POV thing in every other chapter, which means you'll see quite a bit of Kagome and there may be some InuKag stuff, but I'm against that pairing. It's kind of hard to stay away from when they're alone. :\ Darn story! Don't worry, though! It won't take over the story. Miroku and Sango shall live on!!! Review please:) 


	5. Staying

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine. However, I sometimes steal Inu and Sessh so that they can serve me ramen.

I know, I know. It's late again. Sorry. Spring Break was fun and yeah. School's almost out though! I just wanted to say thank you to all of my readers that are still dealing with me! You're the greatest! Remember: THIS CHAPTER IS NOT IN MIROKU'S POV!!

* * *

Chapter 5:  
Staying

Kagome sighed deeply after she silently shut her brother's bedroom door. It was already her second day back in her era and she still hadn't done any research on the mysterious plant. But it wasn't her fault! Her Mother and Souta were sick, and Gramps couldn't help any. She was the one stuck waiting on them hand and foot. Luckily, it was the weekend, and she would probably make Gramps make up another excuse for not being at school on Monday.

"Siiiiiis!" Souta yelled through the closed doors. "I'm hungry!!"

"Ugh! He's so whiny when he's sick!!" Kagome moaned. She pulled a few strands of hair out of her face and tightened her pony tail. Kagome cracked the door open to his bedroom. "Fine! I'll make you some soup!" She stomped off toward her mom's room without shutting the door. 'I might as well kill two birds with one stone.' She thought.

"Mom! Are you hungry?" She hollered through the door. She heard no response and began to get worried. 'She's not one to nap, even when she's sick!' Kagome heard a rustling in the room and flung the door open. "Mom!" She yelled, scanning the room. No one was there, only her mother in her bed. "Mom! Are you okay?" She ran to her mother's bedside.

Ignoring Kagome's frantic questioning, she looked out the window. "Inuyasha was here." She whispered. "He's worried."

"What?" Kagome asked, feeling her mother's forehead. "You seem fine, mom. Are you sure?"

She nodded in reply. "He was here."

'But I'm not supposed to be back until tomorrow. Why would Inuyasha come for me so early?' Kagome looked out of her mother's window. The pink curtains flew in the air and birds chirped outside. 'She's probably delusional.' Kagome walked over to the window, looked out, and slammed it shut. "So! Are you hungry?" Her mother nodded and Kagome walked into the kitchen to prepare lunch for everyone.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Souta! Eat it!" Kagome's yells were coming through the walls and Inuyasha's ears flicked up. He was sitting outside in a tree, waiting for Kagome to walk outside. This much he knew: Kagome was mad at him. She's helping her sick family. There's no way he can walk into the house without Kagome yelling.

'I'm smarter than they think.' He thought smugly as he watched Kagome through the window.

"No way!" Souta tried pushing Kagome off of him, but failed. "I'm... not eating it!"

"It will make you better!" Kagome tried to force a spoon into Souta's mouth, but he pushed it away, spilling soup on the bed. "Stop that! I have to clean these covers, 'ya know!"

"Then stop forcing this STUFF down my throat!" Souta shot back, sitting on his knees. "Just LEAVE. ME. ALONE!!" He stood up and looked out of his window. "Inuyasha's here. Go feed HIM." Inuyasha jumped out of the tree and out of sight, leaving a shaking branch and falling leaves.

Kagome dropped the spoon and ran to her brother's side. "Not you too! Inuyasha is not here!" She dragged Souta back to his bed, not knowing that her family knew the truth. "I won't make you eat this. I'm going to the store so I can buy more soup. I'll only be gone for a little while." Kagome patted her brother's head as he tried to find sleep. She picked up the spoon and bowl.

"See 'ya sis..."

Kagome silently shuts his door, practically running to her room for her purse. 'Yes!' She yells in her mind, grabbing some money from her desk. 'I need to get out of here and research that plant.' She runs out of her room and to the front door. Kagome stops for a moment and then removes her pony tail and brushes off her cloths. She opens the door and flings herself outside, running into something firm. She looks up and her eyes go wide. "Inuyasha?" She asks, her voice ending in a squeak.

"Um... I..." Kagome cuts him off.

"WHAT are you doing here?" She fumes, crossing her arms and turning the other way. "I'm not supposed to be back until tomorrow! You can't just take me back now!" She waits for a rude response, but receives none. Kagome looks up and find Inuyasha's eyes. They don't look arrogant, like normal. They don't look angry or concerned. 'They're... apologetic.' Kagome can't believe what she's seeing. "What... why _are_ you here?" She asks in a lighter tone. She steps back in a gesture to invite Inuyasha in. He shakes his head.

"I want to know..." He thinks and starts over. "Why are you mad at me?"

Kagome turns again and pulls her hand to her mouth. "Mad...?" She stares into space. "I'm... mad at you?"

Inuyasha's jaw drops and he falls to the ground. "What?!" He shoots back up and stares her in the eye. "Then why were you acting so weird the other day?!"

"What do you mean?" Kagome snaps back. "You're the one acting weird! Sneaking around like some crazy man! And then you just stand in my doorway waiting for some explanation!"

"I never _asked_ for one!"

"'Why are you mad?'" Kagome repeats, standing on her tip-toes in order to look him in the eye.

"That was a question!"

"OSUWARI!"

Souta almost falls out of bed as Inuyasha makes contact with the ground. "They always have to fight..." He mumbles, pulling his pillow to his head. "She won't be coming back with soup for a while."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So... you really came to say sorry?" It was mid day and the two were at the base of the Sacred Tree. Kagome was practically starry-eyed as she waited for a response.

"Feh!" Inuyasha was sitting next to Kagome cross-legged, avoiding her stare.

"You're so sweet!" Kagome patted Inuyasha on the head and scratched his ears in a jokingly matter.

"FEH!" He repeated as he dodged out from under her hand. "I didn't say that I was going to say sorry!"

"But you _were_, weren't you?" Kagome nudged forward. Inuyasha took a moment to respond to her question.

"N-no!" He stammered and tried leaning back.

"Okay, Inuyasha." Kagome stood and picked up her purse. "I'll let you keep your "pride" this time." She began walking off and Inuyasha reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Wait!" She turned around curiously. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Go back..." Kagome eased her words.

"Tch! Not with those two! Miroku has been acting weird and Sango has, too. I don't want to be stuck between them!"

Kagome crouched down again. "What do you mean? Are there side-affects to the plant?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. She and Miroku have been avoiding each other. There's too much tension between them. Even Shippou is getting fed up!"

"Oh really?" Kagome muttered. She sat down and giggled. "Lovers quarrel?" She asked jokingly. She was ecstatic to see Inuyasha after waiting on her sick family, and couldn't help but smile listening to his complaints.

"Yeah right! Like I've said before, Sango... will... never... love... him." He spaced out his words and ended in a grunt. "Stupid."

Kagome laughed more. "Okay, Inuyasha, whatever you say! But you won't be thinking that when they have about fifty kids!"

"Feh!" Inuyasha tried ignoring his defeat. "So what will I do?" He asked.

Kagome thought for a moment, and leaned over. She looked at her sleeping brother through his window; she watched his chest move up, down, up-

"SO?!" Inuyasha interrupted.

Kagome looked at the angry half demon. She sat back up straight. "You could stay here... I need help taking care of my family."

Inuyasha simply stared at her as if she were asking him to nurse Naraku back to health. "Why?"

"Inuyasha, you like Souta! And my mom has always treated you with kindness! Why can't you help me?" He gave his "Feh!" and Kagome continued on. "They've always treated you like family!"

The word _family_ hit a nerve. Inuyasha knew that Kagome didn't mean to make him upset, but he had no _family_ and that's that. He jumped into one of the low branches and relaxed as best he could. "Just leave me alone!" He yelled down to a confused girl.

"What do you mean? I didn't DO anything! YOU'RE the one asking me for advice!"

"I said: LEAVE ME ALONE!" He yelled again, crossing his arms.

"Inuyasha, come down here! I need-"

"FEH!!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome fumed, stomping her foot to the ground. "I'll come up there if you don't come down!"

"Go ahead and try!" He boasted as he jumped to the next highest branch, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"Fine! I will!" Kagome clung to a very low branch but fell right back down. Inuyasha laughed but she ignored it. 'I _would_ sit you...' She looked up and Inuyasha stuck out his tongue, she smirked. 'But it's more fun to prove you wrong!' Kagome began climbing the tree and almost fell again, but somehow maintained her position.

Inuyasha laughed. "You'll be at it all day!" Neither of them knew that that's what was going to happen.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kagome was determined to catch up to the half demon. The sun was about to set in another hour or so and the two were barely past the half-way point. Kagome panted. "Inuyasha... can we take... another... break?"

Inuyasha was perfectly fine, laughing his head off at the situation. "What, is that your tenth one?"

Kagome glared up at him. "SECOND! And the first was only because my skirt snagged on a twig back there!" In all reality, Kagome forgot why she was chasing Inuyasha up a tree. Inuyasha also forgot why he was running from her. It really didn't matter to either of them, though. They were both determined to prove the other wrong. "And if I wanted to catch up as badly as you think, I would have been up there already!"

"Oh, really? Then why aren't you up here with me?"

Kagome glared up again, standing on the branch. She couldn't think of what to say though. She laughed and decided to make a joke out of it. "Because it's a beautiful day! I wanted to be outside for a while!"

Inuyasha snorted and jumped down onto her branch, almost making her fall off. He helped her regain her balance. "Whatever. I'm hungry though."

Kagome smirked. "I'll make you all the ramen you want as long as you help me with Souta and Mom."

Inuyasha's ears perked up, but then down again. "Liar."

"No, really. I have to buy some at the store..." She remembered what she really went outside for. "Oh no! I was supposed to go earlier! AND I was supposed to research the plant!!"

"Then why'd you chase me up a tree instead?" Inuyasha crouched down and gestured for Kagome to get on his back. "Come on."

She punched him on the head, causing him to fall out of the tree. "You idiot! We're not in the feudal era!!" She yelled down to the twitching demon.

After recovering from the fall, Inuyasha stood up. "STUPID!! I know that!" He looked up at her. "I WAS goin' to get you down, but now, I'M NOT SO SURE!!" He crossed his arms and turned away.

Kagome looked around. "Oops..." She looked back down and found Inuyasha walking away. "Wait, Inuyasha! Please help me down!"

Partially turning, he smirked, mocking her. "But, we're not in the feudal era!!"

"Please, Inuyasha!" She clapped her hands together and tried looking pathetic.

"Well... I'll help you get down..." He walked under the spot where Kagome was standing. "IF you jump!"

Kagome stared down at him, both angry and scared. She would have "sat" him if she weren't in such a predicament.

"Come on!" He yelled, getting impatient. He held his arms out, showing her that he was ready to catch her. "Just jump!"

"What if you don't catch me?" She yelled, holding onto the trunk with one hand. "I'm not like you, I'll die!"

"You trust me, don't you?!" Inuyasha kept his position. "You trust me when we're fighting Naraku!"

Kagome sighed, preparing to climb back down. "I'll just..." She lost her footing and fell off of the branch, plummeting toward Inuyasha. "INUYASHA!!!"

Inuyasha's eyes went wide and he prepared himself for the catch, holding his arms out more.

"INUYA-" She felt herself fall into a sort of cradle like position, and looked up. She gasped as she saw Inuyasha's golden eyes looking down at her with some sort of gentleness to them. Then she felt the two of them fall again, realizing that he jumped to catch her. She watched his face, mesmerized as his silver locks floated through the air, catching an early sunset. They landed. "Thank... you..." Her heart was still racing and she tried to calm herself down.

"Told you I'd catch you." He said quietly as he let the girl down on her feet. His face changed as suddenly as it had before. "Now go buy the ramen!"

Kagome took a while to regain herself. Finally, she turned away. "Hmph! Fine!" She grabbed her purse, which was still sitting at the base of the tree, and stomped out. "Now go take care of Souta!"

Inuyasha walked the other way, smiling. "As long as I get ramen."

* * *

So, you're probably asking: "Why put this chapter?" Well you know why, I just wanted to. :P Even though InuKag isn't my ideal couple, I needed a bit of a refreshment from all of the MirSan. Plus, it really wasn't all that bad... at all. It didn't suggest too much InuKag but whatever, they're easy to write about. Anyway, I've been thinking about the story and I have a great plan for it, so I won't ignore poor Miroku.  
I'm still not sure if I want to be a meanie and end this in tears, or give it a "happily ever after" ending. (I don't like fairy tales, so you may hate me in the last few chapters.) The ending will actually be pretty far away, considering the alternating Kagome chapters. Nothing much will happen there except discoveries on the plant, though, so they'll probably be shorter than this one. (Don't you just love my ranting? xD)  
**The next chapter will be back in Mirkou's POV!!**  
Please R&R! Criticism is still very welcome! I **love** to know that you all like it, but if something if confusing or just plain wrong please let me know:) It makes the story so much better!


	6. A Little Close

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Inuyasha is not, nor will he ever be mine.

The site has been having a lot of problems. I didn't know people reviewed, or I would have put this up earlier. (It's been in my folder for about five days now. -.-;) There's not much to say, so I'll just shut up now.

* * *

Chapter 6:  
A Little Close

The day that Inuyasha went to Kagome's era was uneventful. Sango had proven that she had better control of this "voice" and hadn't let it take control of her for the whole day. I was sure though that it was always on her mind. She seemed distracted all day and didn't eat or do much of anything, and I was beginning to get worried. What if she had to keep going on like this? I don't know if I could bear seeing it.

I avoided her as much as possible, so that she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. But it was hard, lechery wasn't on my mind at all, but I never really realized how much I depended on her presence. I never really took in to consideration on how much I enjoyed simply being around her. The seclusion did allow me one thing, time to think this through. I didn't like not knowing what was going on, but when she changed, nothing seemed to matter. Now that she wasn't at my side, standing in the dark was almost as unbearable as not being with her.

A slight wind picked up and blew past me, sitting on the hill. My Shakujo jingled as the breeze went by. The day was warm and the breeze allowed extra comfort throughout the day. I closed my eyes, attempting to enjoy the peacefulness while it lasted, but every time my mind found a good thought, Sango's hand followed it. I didn't want to think about it, so I tried to think of something completely unrelated to Sango. 'Inuyasha should be back with Kagome today. I'm sure Sango would-' No use. I tried thinking of something else. Nothing seemed to pop into mind at the moment, so I tried attacking the mark problem again. 'We should probably get some good details on this plant from Kagome. Then maybe we could cure Sango's hand.' There was no way to get around it; Sango was the only thing I lived for anymore. If she were to vanish, I simply wouldn't be able to go on.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I heard a very familiar voice from behind me.

'And speaking of which...' I thought as I turned around. "It's okay. I was about to be heading back anyway." I looked up at her. "Is something wrong?" I asked, noticing worry in her eyes.

She hesitated, and finally sat. "Miroku..." She looked to the ground and began again, her voice lower. "Miroku, I don't know if-"

"SANGO!!" An obviously cheerful Shippou came running up the hill, plopping into Sango's lap. She immideatly changed her expression, probably trying to hide the previous worry from him.

"Yes Shippou, what is it?" She stood and held him in her arms.

"Kagome is back!" He yelled, jumping down.

"Really? Where is she," Sango looked down the hill and turned back to Shippou. "in the village?"

Shippou shook his head. "No, she's at the well. She and Inuyasha wanted me to come get you two." Shippou ran to my side and tried to pull me up by the hand. "Hurry up! Let's go!" I smiled and stood, causing Shippou to fall down. He bounced back up.

"Is something wrong, Shippou?" Sango stood beside me and crossed her arms.

Shippou shook his head again. "No... at least I don't think so. Inuyasha and Kagome seemed fine. Just follow me; they're going to tell you if something is wrong anyway."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I heard Kagome and Inuyasha arguing before I even saw them. The argument was somewhere along the lines of "watching my kid brother" and "what have they ever done for me?" but you never know with those two. We stepped into the clearing and the two stopped and turned toward us. Kagome put on a happy front.

"You doing okay Sango?" Sango nodded, gripping her marked hand. Kagome glared at me. "I wasn't necessarily talking about your hand."

Sango smiled, a real one, for possibly the first time since she was marked. "He's made a sort of promise."

"A _promise_?" Kagome asked as she ran to Sango's side. "What kind?"

Sango's smile dropped. "Oh, heh, nothing big." She blushed and I walked next to Inuyasha.

"Have 'ya stopped flirting?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk. I ignored it.

"So what's going on?" I looked behind Inuyasha and saw Kagome's backpack, thinner than usual.

"Kagome's family is sick. So _we_ have to take care of 'em." Inuyasha handed me the bag. "Kagome wanted to give you guys some supplies. We'll be there for a while, maybe even a week." Inuyasha glared at Kagome, obviously upset at the fact that we would be delayed so long. "I doubt we'll stay that long though. I don't wanna waste my time there when I can be out searching for the jewel shards."

I held the backpack in my free hand. "What's wrong with them? Will they be okay?"

"I dunno what's wrong. It shouldn't take them that long to get better, but she wanted to stay longer. Anyway, Kagome never had a chance to research the plant so she's gonna try to bring some information tomorrow."

"So you're not staying?" Sango asked, turning to Inuyasha.

"Sorry, but my mom and brother are sick and there's not really anyone to take care of them."

"What about the old man?" Inuyasha crossed his arms accusingly. "He could!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. I could tell that they had this argument before. "Yeah but it's too much for Gramps to do! It would be better if you and I just took care of 'em!"

"But why do I have to go?"

"Because it's too much for me to do, too! Between school, the plant, and them, I'll be too tired to do anything. You have to help me!"

Sango and I turned to go back, realizing that a long fight was about to take place. "Sure thing," Sango said, turning back around. "I'll see you soon Kagome! Tell your family I said to get well soon." She turned around and ran to walk by my side, leaning closer. "Do you think he'll really help her?" She whispered.

Shippou clung to the backpack that I was carrying. I leaned in as well. "Who knows. They're both stubborn. I feel bad for Kagome's family, though. They're the ones that will have to put up with it."

The three of us laughed as we returned to the village, still hearing the argument on the way.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

We ate an early dinner that night, hoping to sleep well for the first time since Sango's hand became marked. Some time afterward, Sango stood. She got into Kagome's bag and pulled out the two bottles that Sango and Kagome took to bathe. She silently walked out the door.

Shippou peeked out of the door and turned back to me. "Miroku, what's wrong? Sango has been acting weird."

I didn't want to concern Shippou. "Nothing is wrong." I stood up, letting Kirara jump out of my lap. She had become more attached to me for some reason since the incident.

"Miroku, I'm not stupid! I may be a kid but I've been around you guys long enough to see when something is wrong!"

"It's none of your concern, Shippou."

"But it's yours! I know that there is something going on and I know that it's between you and Sango! You need to fix whatever it is because if you don't then it will only get worse!"

I sighed. I really hated it when Shippou sounded so much like Kagome, and it really kept me puzzled why he began so acquire that. "Get some sleep, Shippou. I'm going outside." I walked out and Kirara ran past me, probably toward Sango.

"You're not going to spy on her again, are you?" Shippou yelled and ran in front of me, attempting to block the doorway.

"No. I promised her that I wouldn't do anything of the sort."

"Yeah, right!"

"Yes, right." I walked past him and walked onto the hill. I needed to think things through... again.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I soon found out that there was no way to think things through... there was too much confusion, and my emotion was getting in the way. I knew that there was a way to fix this, and it was probably obvious, but I couldn't think of anything but the way I held Sango nights ago. 'It will never happen again.' I kept telling myself that over and over, trying to be rational about the situation, but it was near impossible. A huge part of me wanted to run up to her and just hold her in my arms, and make everything else go away. While the other part, the one with the small bit of rationality that I had left, kept me from doing so. 'It will never happen again.' The thought haunted me, the thought that I would never be able to hold her. It was getting louder and louder. 'It will never happen again.' I knew so, but I still wished I could. 'It will never happen again.' The part of me that wanted to hold her wanted to break my promise. The promise to not take advantage of her, but the other part felt strongly for her as well, and just wanted her to be happy. 'It will never happen again.' I use to think that she shared the same feelings for me, but now I'm not so sure. Was the promise she made before out of pitty? 'It will never happen again.' I didn't want pitty, I wanted Sango. 'It will never happen again.' Damn it, no matter how many times I told myself, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't think straight at all, my emotions kept me in a cloud at all times when I was around Sango. 'It will never happen again.' I may have acted boldly, but I was no where near that when I thought of Sango. 'It will never happen again' And it was strange, Sango, the only woman that rejected me, was the one that I cared so deeply for. I tried avoiding it, but it came. I bowed my head and tried to keep a straight face, and I let a tear fall.

"Mew!" Kirara was at the bottom of the hill, behind me. I didn't turn, and cleared my throat. "Mew!" She ran up behind me and pawed at my hand. "Mew." She tried to nudge me up and lead me somewhere.

"Kirara. Is Sango in trouble?!" I jumped up and looked down at her as she ran back down the hill, toward the village.

"Mew!" I began to feel panic seep in. If anything were to happen I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

"Lead the way, Kirara!" I followed her, and sadly knew the way. We were heading toward the hot springs.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Sango!" I didn't yell, for fear of attracting attention. I didn't come out from behind the tree, for fear of making Sango angry. I heard no answer and looked down at Kirara. "Is she there?"

Kirara growled and looked in the direction where Sango was supposed to be. Kirara turned into demon form.

"Sango, are you okay?" I asked, still behind the tree. When I still didn't hear a response, I walked out. No one was there except for Sango, standing in the hot springs. She was facing away from me and water dripped from her long hair. Her head was lowered and her hands were at her sides.

"S... Sango?" I almost stepped closer, but decided against it.

"..."

"Sango?" I asked again, still no response came. I silently stepped closer. I was worried; worried that she would think that I was breaking my promise for moving any closer. But I couldn't simply stand there. "Is something wrong?"

Sango didn't move. She didn't speak. Her bare back was facing me and I wished that I could see her face, for I could tell something was wrong. I wasn't that close to the water when she spoke.

"It took you a while to show up." She still didn't face me and her voice was plain. Nothing told me that she was angry, but I stopped anyway.

"What do you mean?" I asked almost defensively. I felt like a coward, really, stepping back.

Kirara growled even louder as Sango turned her head half way. Her body soon followed. Her face was as expressionless as her voice, and... my eyes lowered. Blood rose to my cheeks. I forced my eyes up again and she smiled slightly, tilting her head, something that I would never expect from Sango.

"What's going on?" I stepped back more, and my voice shook. I tried looking down at her hand but it was in the water.

"..."

I turned. I didn't want to know what she was going to do. I did, yes, but I knew that it wasn't Sango. I knew that she had been taken over. And I couldn't break the promise. I began walking back when I heard water splash, footsteps quickly pounding against the dirt, heading toward me. I spun around and was knocked to the ground, realizing that I was pinned to the ground by none other than Sango. The irony. "Sango...!" I was defiantly surprised, I'll admit that. I never expected this, even when she was taken over. I tried keeping the promise in my mind, tried keeping my rational side in control and the other side in check. I tried.

She had a seducing smile on, and her wet hair draped over my chest. "You love me, right Miroku?" I tried avoiding her face, but my eyes always wondered toward her... all of her. I managed to find her hand, and proven myself correct. The blue was shining fiercely.

"Sango! You must stop!" I hated myself for not wanting to say those words. "Remember the promise Sango!" The words came and had nothing in them, nothing at all. I didn't want to say the words, and I was ashamed.

"You love me Miroku," She leaned down and connected her lips with mine. I tried resisting, tried to let myself know that it wasn't Sango.

'This is NOT Sango! It isn't her right now... it isn't Sango...' My body didn't seem to listen. I responded to the kiss and allowed her pleading tongue entrance into my mouth. Her hands moved off of my arms and I wrapped them around her bare back. I then remembered what I told her at the well. _'I promise that whenever you change, I will try my hardest to bring you back without taking advantage of it.'_ My heart sank. I remembered her words as well. _'Are you sure... that you promise?'_ I didn't think that I could feel any worse, but I did. I remembered her smile, though it seemed fake, and trust that she had in me at that moment. How it would be broken if I were to let myself do this to her. I managed to push Sango off of me. I sat up.

She sat on her knees and her hair covered much of her chest. She slowly and sadly looked up. I could tell that the emotion was false though. "Miroku," She made eye contact with me. "do you not love me?"

'Sango...' It's strange how a simple word could cause me such pain, 'I'm sorry...' and how a simple word could cause her so much pain. 'that I can't love you.' I stood and walked toward her, and crouched in front of her, avoiding any thoughts but the ones to keep her safe. "Sango! You must snap out of it! I know you're stronger than this!"

She responded to the words and seemed to try fighting the thing that took control of her. She grabbed the sides of her head with both hands and slammed down into the dirt. "No!" Red was seeping into the blue, causing the marks to glow purple. "I'm... not!"

"Yes you are Sango! You can regain control!" I saw tear drops fall into the dirt, along with the water from her hair. I held her shoulders, as if trying to pull the real Sango back out. She couldn't get through it... I saw it. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly. I couldn't let the real Sango go. I couldn't let her be taken over! "Sango..." She was still holding her head, teeth clenched. I felt her sobs against my chest. "Sango, you _can_ get through this." It didn't seem possible, but it was. I was hating myself more and more. I didn't _want_ to just hold her. I didn't _want_ to just talk to her. I always told myself that all I wanted was for Sango to be happy. And... only one of us could find happiness... it _had_ to be her. I always wanted so much from her. _So_ much was expected from me. I held her tighter. "Don't lose to her, Sango! I'll help you through it!!" The colors stopped battling, and the red was the only one remaining. The marks grew all the way up her arm and she fell into my chest. "... Sango?" She didn't reply. 'Don't tell me I'm going to have to _dress_ her!' "... Sango?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Off in the distance, where Sango's hand had been marked, the plant still stood. Two bright green eyes shown in the trees behind and the plant vanished in a red smoke. A high pitched laughter came from the forest, and the eyes vanished as well. The trees changed, all turning black, dying instantaneously. In a matter of seconds, all that was left in the area was a circular mark in dirt, one that matched the marks on Sango's arm.

* * *

Sorry for ending it there... but if I were to keep going then it would have been too long. :( Please review on this chapter! I didn't really proof read so tell me if there are any mistakes. Oh yeah, I think I'll keep you guys waiting on what the ending will be. I'm just that evil! **The next chapter will NOT be in Miroku's POV!** (And I promise it will be strictly plant related.) 


	7. Living in a Fairy Tale

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: Why must you rub it in my face? You know very well that I don't own anyone from Inuyasha.

Yes, yes, I know. It's been a while. Anyway, I never said thank you to those who reviewed chapter 4, so thanks. I know that it wasn't good and was rather pointless. And thanks to all of those who reviewed the last chapter as well!! And yes, there is plant info here. I think that Miroku would commit suicide before going another day without knowing what's going on... or at least I would.  
Miroku: -still in position from last chapter- Can we please get on with the story!?  
Mouseth: Why, Miroku, I thought that you would rather like that chapter...  
Miroku: Not when I can't DO anything!  
Mouseth: This is still rated T, you know. Don't make me kill you later, remember that I'm the one writing this!  
Miroku: -cries-  
Mouseth: -.- Anyway, here is chapter 7! Remember that THIS IS NOT IN MIROKU'S POV!!

* * *

Chapter 7:  
Living in a Fairy Tale

A large pile of books sat on a circular table next to Kagome, she tossed another three in. "There!" She threw her hair behind her shoulder. "That should be enough for now." She dropped into the seat beside the table and pulled a book from the pile, beginning to read.

She and Inuyasha had yet another fight right before she left, but all was forgotten by now. She was just concerned about Sango, and her marked hand. She desperately wanted to know exactly _what_ the plant did to her, or what it could do. Kagome threw the book down. "Nothing!" She picked up another book, reading through the table of contents. She threw down that one as well. "Nothing… again." She sighed, picking up another book.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kagome moaned as she put the last of the books on the shelf. "I might as well go home..." _Nothing_ in _any_ of them had to do with the plant that hurt Sango. Her hand trailed over a rather thick book with a deep purple cover. She slightly titled her head in order to read the cover. "Seducing Flower?" She questioned the book, but pulled it out anyway. On the cover, she saw a flower identical to the one that marked Sango, but bigger. She also saw a familiar looking woman. "Sango?!" Kagome thought on it for a moment. It seemed that this book belonged with the fairy tales, or fictional books, instead of the non-fictional books on plants. Her stomach growled, and she looked out at the sun setting. "I'll just check it out."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Inuyasha, I'm back!" She yelled as she opened the front door. No one was in the room. Kagome walked into the kitchen, finding Gramps at the stove. "Oh, hey Gramps. Where's Inuyasha?"

"I sent him upstairs. That boy never stops complaining." He turned around to find the empty air where Kagome was standing. "And you never stop to listen..." He mumbled and turned back to his meal.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kagome walked into her brother's room, where she knew Inuyasha was.

"So you press this to kill 'em?" Inuyasha was holding one of Souta's portable games in his clawed hands. He glanced up, still playing the game. "Oh, hey Kagome," He said half heartedly. He turned the tiny screen toward her. "I'm killing demons on this thing!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Inuyasha," She snatched the game from him. "have you forgotten about our friends?"

"Of course not!" He grabbed the game and continued it. "What else was I supposed to do while you were gone?"

Kagome took the game again, turning it off. She held the book that she brought from the library up. "Look, I got some type of story about a plant. Doesn't this person look like Sango?" She pointed to the female on the cover with the game.

Inuyasha stood, taking the book in one hand. He studied it. "Yeah." He finally said. "But she doesn't have all of those marks on her body." Kagome looked back down, and strangely, for the first time noticed that there were marks all over the woman's body, small and large.

"Don't some of those look like the ones on Sango's hand?" She asked, setting the forgotten game on Souta's table. The boy snuck out of the room unnoticed.

"I guess, but you should read it first." Kagome obeyed, he was probably right. Sango and Miroku could wait another day, right? She walked out of the room and into her own, closing the door behind her. She opened the book to the first page.

_ 'A very long time ago, in feudal Japan, there lived a tajiya who fell in love. The man that she was in love with was a lowly houshi, and he wasn't perfect in the least, but she loved him none the less.'_ "Wow, that's Miroku and Sango right there!" Kagome looked down and found a picture of the houshi. "He looks exactly like Miroku... so is this story really about them?" She left the thought and began reading again. _ 'The tajiya was strong and brave, and traveled with a strange miko, half demon, and the houshi who she had learned to love. The group was in search of the legendary Shikon No Tama, but constantly ran into trouble with demons that also searched for the jewel._

The tajiya, Sango, kept her feelings for the houshi at bay for many reasons. One of which, was the fear of killing another person that she loved. It seemed to her that every person important to her got killed, and she couldn't bear another death because of it. She would protect him no matter what it took.' Kagome flipped ahead. She already knew about the love and the death and all of that, she lived through it! She stopped, and began reading again. _ 'As the group began traveling after the miko returned, they came across a strange plant. Upon touching the flower, the tajiya felt a strange stinging on her hand. She looked down and found red marks forming in all of the places that stung. She heard something... a strange and evil voice._

"Who is it that you yearn for?" The voice called. The tajiya looked around and found no one except her friends. Then, she saw the faces of the miko and half demon change, turn black, and fade away. There was nothing but black as she looked over at the houshi, his image perfectly set against the black background.

'MIROKUUUU!' She called inside her mind, watching the houshi's eyes on her. She couldn't do anything; she didn't know what was going on. She couldn't see the world before her as she felt herself moving, moving where, she did not know.' "This must be when Inuyasha took Sango back to the village." Kagome thought aloud, remembering when Sango's hand was marked. She continued reading.

_'"Sango," The tajiya heard a female voice inside her head, and looked around. She saw no one in the room with her. "Sango-chan, he left you. The houshi left you." She tried looking out the door and didn't see him. He did leave her..._

'Miroku...?' She asked within herself, trying to remember what happened.

"He left you, Sango. He didn't even care about what happened to you."

'Miroku...?' She asked again, her memory still foggy.

"He doesn't care about you."

'No... Miroku cares about me...'

"He doesn't care, Sango-chan. He doesn't care about you. He left you."

'That can't be right... Miroku... he... he... lo... cares about me.' The tajiya stood and walked into the village, wanting to reassure herself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

'Miroku...' She looked around like a lost puppy. The tajiya didn't know why she was so worried, why she needed him so much, why she couldn't stand not being with him right now. All she knew is that her houshi was gone... her houshi. She spotted him with a village woman.

"See, he doesn't care, Sango-chan. The houshi doesn't care about you, only the frail village women. He only cares for the beautiful women, not some **demon slayer**."

'He doesn't care?' She asked the voice, but no response came. She didn't want to believe her words, but the proof was right in front of her. **Her** houshi was with those village women.

She ran. Where? She didn't know. Why? She didn't know. She just had to get away. She called within her mind. To who? She didn't know. Why? She didn't know. She just had to scream, even though her voice was still to be found. 'Stop him from doing this! Stop him from hurting me!' She tripped over a root and found herself at the well. "Miroku..." The first thing she had said all day. She usually loved saying his name, but all it brought her now was pain. "He... doesn't care." She walked over to the well and sat against it, crying for the man who didn't even care for her.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The tajiya still cried... letting the tear drops fall deep into the well, and splash into the dirt. She didn't even know why she was upset, the houshi didn't even look like usual. In fact, now that she thought on it, he looked a little annoyed, and like he wanted to get away. She really did believe that he meant her no harm in the village, and she believed that he wasn't flirting, so why was she hurting so badly? Why did these tears keep falling and why was her heart torn?

She heard a voice. "Kagome?" At first the tajiya didn't think much of it, but then she heard the source of the voice coming toward her. "Sango?" She realized who the surprised voice was. It was the houshi. She flinched, suddenly feeling a stinging throughout her body.

She heard the voice of the strange woman once again. 'I can make him come to you, Sango-chan.'

"No." She tried telling the voice within her, but making the houshi think that she was talking to him.

It took him a while to respond. "Sango, tell me, are you still angry over the other day?" He asked, catching her off guard.

She didn't know what he was talking about. 'The day my hand was marked?' She asked herself.

"Sango..." It hurt her to hear him so hurt. Was she really hurting him this badly? As badly as he usually hurt her?

"What?" She waited for a response but got none. "Either talk or leave houshi-sama. In case you have forgotten, I'm still upset with you." Not true. She didn't know where the harsh words had come from. All she really wanted to do was sit in his embrace, and listen to his comforting words, telling her that everything would be alright. She just wanted to hug him... just wanted to... She stopped her thoughts before they got any further.

"Sango, I'm sorry."

'No...' She said to him, though she couldn't form the words. He wasn't supposed to apologize. He was just supposed to hold her.

He placed his hand on top of hers and she enjoyed the warmth. She enjoyed the simple touch. He chuckled and she pulled her hand away.

"What?" She asked, thinking that his hentai ways were on mind.

"Oh, it's nothing... It's probably going to rain soon, and Kagome won't be back for a while. We should probably get back." He stood and offered her a hand, she took it.

Her hand stung slightly but nothing to react to, and then all of a sudden she felt herself falling...

Falling...

Falling...

**Falling...**

And she hit the ground with what was supposed to be unrelenting force. As the tajiya looked around, she found that there was nothing but blackness. "What's going on here?!" She yelled, words echoed. She felt no pain, even after the fall. The tajiya looked around and saw the houshi. "Miroku?" She looked closer and found herself looking through her own eyes again. She tried reaching out her hand, but couldn't get it to move.

"You're sure that you're not in pain?" She heard him ask her.

"Of course, Miroku!" The tajiya gasped inwardly. Where had those words come from? "Come, my love, we should get back before we get sick!" More words escaped her lips which she could not control. 'What's going on?' She yelled within herself, trying desperately to regain control.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

She tried regaining control for the whole night, and had no such luck. She could only simply watch as the demon controlled her body, sitting in **her** houshi's embrace.'

Kagome was utterly confused. 'So a demon is controlling Sango's body?' She skipped ahead a bit, and by chance, she stopped at a rather disturbing part.

_'The demon had once again spoken, her voice growing louder and more vicious with each word. "You must seduce the monk. He has caused women nothing but pain!" Her voice began dropping again, and was almost soothing. "If you allow me to take over, I will make sure he never touches another woman again." She tried blocking out the voice, pulling her hands over her ears, but it was in her head. "Sango-chan, you yearn for that monk. You can have him if you allow me to take over..." The voice was but a whisper in her ears. She dove under the water, hoping to escape._

'Stop!' She silently yelled. 'No! Leave me alone!' She was under for much too long, she lost her strength and the demon began to win control of her body.

"Excellent." She sneered, pulling herself out of the water. She looked around and saw the tiny cat demon running off. "Good job. Fetch that monk for me." 'I need that spiritual power from him, and you, Sango-chan, are the only person that can take him. You're the only one who can use his love against him. I'll just use you for a bit longer.' She waited until she heard the man behind the trees minutes later.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Sango!" The houshi's voice was a mere whisper behind the trees, which was almost covered by Kirara's growling.

"Sango, are you okay?" He stepped out from behind the tree, finding her in the water. She didn't respond. "S... Sango?" There was still no response, he called again. "Are you okay?" The monk was now stepping closer. He stopped when the woman spoke.

"It took you a while to show up."

"What do you mean?" The houshi began stepping back, fearing that she had been taken over once again.

As the demon cat growled louder, the tajiya slowly turned around to face him.

"What's going on?" He asked, though he knew the answer. The houshi tried keeping the promise he made in mind as he began walking back, that is, until the tajiya ran after him, pinning him to the ground.

'No! Miroku, I'm sorry!' The tajiya yelled in her mind, trying to regain control of her body. It was pointless; she had to watch helplessly as the demon used her body to seduce the houshi.

The demon used their feelings against each of them. "You love me, right Miroku?"

"Sango! You must stop!" The houshi knew what the demon was planning. "Remember the promise, Sango!" The tajiya tried, but couldn't stop the demon from using her lips to kiss the man that she loved.

'Stop this! Get off of Miroku!' She restlessly yelled inside her own mind, but her spirit was fading.

The two made love. No one surely knew whether it was against the tajiya's will or not, whether she ever regained control that night. The houshi nor the tajiya could have never expected what horrible fate this would bring.'

Kagome's face fiercely turned red as she read the book. "How could he do that to her?!" She screamed, throwing the book to the ground. Inuyasha ran in.

"Kagome, what's going on?" He stood calmly when he saw no one else in the room. He looked down at the book, and picked it up briskly.

"That _monk_... he... he... UGH!" Kagome yelled, grabbing her pillow. She tore tiny holes in it with her fingernails. Inuyasha walked over, the book still in hand, and stood in front of her.

"Would you just tell me what's goin' on?" He threw the book down onto the bed next to her, and sat on the opposite side.

"I'm 'gonna kill Miroku! _That's_ what's going on!" She yelled even louder, making the holes in the pillow larger. Inuyasha placed his hands on hers, softly lifting them off of the pillow. He quickly took it and sat it down next to him, looking carefully into her eyes.

"I'm asking you this one more time," He calmly stated, as if she were a child. "what happened?" Kagome looked calm only for a moment before picking up the book and hitting him in the head with it. "You want to know? FINE!!" She yelled, now projected toward the half demon laying on the floor, on his face.

Inuyasha stood again, balling his fist up. As Kagome tried to look him in the eye, she found that she had to stand on her tiptoes. The two stared angrily at each other until Kagome stood flat footed again, smiling slyly.

"Inuyasha," She said calmly, turning around. "come with me." She kept the book in her hand, walking out the door, a puzzled Inuyasha following.

Moments later, Kagome's voice was heard through her mothers closed window. "SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!" She looked out the window to find Kagome panting next to a rather large crater, where Inuyasha was laying face first. She sighed.

"At least she took him outside this time." She turned around again and headed for her bed. She was getting better, but she still didn't have much strength.

-x-x-x-x-x-x- Kagome turned from the stove and found Inuyasha standing at the kitchen door, the book in hand. "How'd you get the book?!" She asked, running over to him. He threw it into her hands.

"You threw it on my head!" He yelled, crossing his arms.

"I... did?" She asked, staring down at the book. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! I think I'd know if something hit my head!!"

"Oh... sorry." She set the book on the table and ran back to the stove, finishing the ramen that she was preparing. She offered it to him. "Here. It was my lunch but I'll make more."

Inuyasha kept his position. "All I want to know is why you were so angry."

Kagome kept holding the offering out. "So you're telling me that you don't want ramen?"

Inuyasha half turned and quickly took the bowl. "Now will you tell me?"

Kagome smiled as she turned back to the stove. 'He's so predictable.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Inuyasha stared with uncertainty. "You're kidding me!" He listened to Kagome throughout the whole story, watching her cheeks softly turn shades of red as she told him about the book.

Kagome sighed, closing her eyes. "If I were kidding then I wouldn't have so much trouble telling you would I?" Inuyasha set his bowl down.

"So it's true?"

"Well, it was in the book, it has to be true." Kagome offered her bowl to him; she didn't feel so hungry anymore.

"But..." Inuyasha turned away.

Kagome grew angry. "Are you really that dumb?!" She yelled at him, she knew what was on his mind. 'He thinks that she doesn't love Miroku... idiot.'

"Who are you to call me dumb?" He shot back, turning back to the girl. "I'm just saying that she's stronger than that... and anyway, they're engaged to be married, so-" Kagome cut him off.

"That doesn't matter!! Didn't you hear a word I just said?!"

"Well if they want to mate that's their business!"

Kagome's face turned bright red. How could he say that after she told him what happened? Was he _really_ so simple minded? "But she didn't want to!"

"Keh." He pulled her abandoned bowl toward him. "You told me that no one ever knew if she changed back or not. Or if she even wanted to mate."

Kagome rolled her eyes. Inuyasha was so foolish. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! Miroku can't do that to Sango! I don't care _what_ happens!" She stormed off to the well with Inuyasha on her heels.

"Do you honestly think that that lecher would admit to it?" He called to her, making her stop. "Think about it, this is Miroku."

He was now next to her. "Well that doesn't matter! He knows what happened!" She began walking toward the well again, only to be pulled back.

"Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?" Wow, wasn't this turned around. Wasn't Kagome usually the one saying this? Then again, that was in battle. Now she was dealing with a no good lecher. "Miroku may be a hentai, but he cares for her."

Kagome was being beaten. "Well... well... he..." She stammered, trying to win back the conversation.

"Now let's just go back and talk to Sango. She'll talk to you more easily than Miroku will." Kagome hated Inuyasha at this moment. How could he be so calm about a situation like this? Why wasn't his usual rash side coming out, ready to kill Miroku? She sighed.

"Fine!" She broke free of his grasp. "Come on then."

* * *

That was horribly hard to write... horribly. Please review. Neh... I'll get more information in the next chapter, lots of yelling and awkward moments on Kagome's part. Please review! I'll try to update sooner! 


	8. Awkward Moments

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.

It's been a while, neh? I'll be writing much more now... well, thanks for the reviews!

**IMPORTANT:** Just so you know, the book _was_ wrong; nothing happened between the two. (Miroku and Sango.) I wouldn't do that because one: I love Miroku to death and wouldn't make him look like an ass, and two: if the book told them everything about the plant and such, it would be much too easy to cure Sango. There are _many_ things that are true in the book, so you'll just have to decide on what's true and what's not. (The same goes for Kagome and Inuyasha.) But basically, everything that the demon tells Sango really happened. The book is pretty much a way to see what's going on through Sango's eyes. ;D Okay, story time!

* * *

Chapter 8:  
Awkward Moments

I sighed as I walked behind the trees; down a path... okay, so maybe I wasn't paying attention. 'At least she woke up...' I absentmindedly rubbed the bump that was recently placed on the back of my head. 'I'll never forget though...' I slightly winced from the pressure of my hand. 'That she doesn't need a weapon to kill something.' I continued walking, trying to remove the thoughts that entered my head, as if Sango could hear them. The rings from my shakujou were jingling cheerfully... as if there was something to be cheerful about. Sango was furious, not listening to a word I said. I tried telling her that nothing happened, but she didn't try listening, so I eventually gave up.

A group of children ran past me, telling me that I wasn't far from the village. I continued walking, and stopped at the sound of Kagome's voice.

"Inuyasha! Let me go! I'm just going to talk to Sango!" I hid behind a tree.

"You just said that you were gonna..." Inuyasha stopped. I forgot about his nose. He looked in my direction and narrowed his eyes. Something in the look told me "You're dead."

Kagome broke from the grasp, red and flustered. "OSUWARI!" Inuyasha took a face plant, and a dust cloud formed as Kagome stormed off.

Moments later, Inuyasha stood and began dusting himself off. "She's 'gonna kill you." She said casually.

I stepped out from behind the trees and stood in front of Inuyasha. "What do you mean?"

"Keh. Don't play dumb, you know."

I must have looked as puzzled as I really was, because Inuyasha laughed and sat down. "You idiot. Sango." I still didn't answer. "Fine then... _you_ and Sango." He seemed to be having fun throwing me hints that I didn't catch.

"I'm still not following you, Inuyasha."

He looked at me bewildered, but regained himself. "I knew you wouldn't admit to it."

"Admit to _what_?!" I yelled, sitting in front of him.

"You and Sango mated." He replied plainly.

"**What?!**" I yelled, falling back. Mated? Besides the strange use of words, that was absurd!

Inuyasha sighed, standing again. "Kagome got this book from her era, and for some reason it's about you and Sango. Right now... with her marked hand."

"What?" I asked again, still trying to soak this in.

"Do you know _what_ marked Sango's hand, right?" He asked impatiently.

"The plant."

"No! A demon! She controls the plant... Sango..." Inuyasha was confusing himself. He recollected himself and started over. "A demon creates these plants, the one that Sango touched. After the hand of someone is marked, the demon can control that person to do whatever she wants."

"The voice..." I whispered to myself rather than Inuyasha.

"Yes! She talks to Sango, saying that you don't love her and all that shit so she can gain control. Sango is so strong willed that the demon had trouble gaining control, and she still does. She has to use Sango's weakness in order to control her."

I registered this for a minute, remembering where this conversation had started. "Wait a minute, Inuyasha. What did you say about Sango and I before?" I asked, preparing for the answer. Nothing happened, but I was pretty sure that the demon was trying to entice me, using Sango's body.

"The demon is using Sango to lure you to her. She wants your spiritual power. But _you_ took it too far."

"I did no such thing!" I tried to defend. "Sango and I did nothing of the sort!"

"Well the book said so." Inuyasha crossed his arms, saying that he wanted to end the argument there. But I wanted to get to the bottom of this.

"Inuyasha, when was it that the book said this happened?" I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. The last thing I needed was even more accusations. Maybe it _was_ possible that Sango and I could... no. I shouldn't have thoughts like that at a time like this.

Inuyasha uncrossed his arms, not taking any time to respond. "You should know!"

"No I don't because nothing happened! It almost-" I stopped myself but Inuyasha caught it. He unfortunately did.

"What do you mean _"Almost"_?" He asked, actually curious for some reason.

I waited. I never felt uncomfortable in situations like this before... but this was Sango... "Well, the plant gained control over her," Inuyasha waited for more that I wasn't ready to say.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Inuyasha and I sat near the hut, Inuyasha listening to Sango and Kagome talking. His ears twitched, and he chuckled through some of it. It had to have been an hour before Kagome stopped accusing me of taking advantage of Sango's hand. Another hour of only Kami knows what. Then Inuyasha stood and began walking into the forest, knowing I'd follow him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So what's going on, Inuyasha? What did Kagome tell her?" I stood before him as he leaned on a tree, his eyes closed. He opened one as he spoke.

"Well, she said "I'm so sorry about what Miroku did!" and things like that at first." He laughed at my discomfort. "Then Sango told her about the hot springs..." He laughed even more and fell to the ground.

"It's not that funny." I said, staring at the hysterical hanyou.

His laughing ceased and he looked up at me. "Well you'll probably hate what I'm about to say..." He stood up, keeping more laughter at bay. "Kagome and Sango decided that it's best for Sango to keep her distance from you."

"You can't be serious!"

Inuyasha chuckled at my astonishment. "Well who can blame her? At least Kagome isn't going to murder you now."

"Yeah, but..." I dropped to the ground, my Shakujou bouncing before landing with a "clash." "It'll kill me on the inside..."

Inuyasha practically spat his words at me. "You're pathetic!" He turned and began walking off.

"Wait, Inuyasha!" He turned around and looked at me, half-listening. "How long will this be?"

"Feh!" He turned back around and walked with his arms crossed. "Pathetic houshi..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I returned to the hut later that evening, finding Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou. I would have asked where Sango was, but Kagome stared at me as soon as I entered the door, as if she were trying to kill me with her eyes. I instead, silently sat, awaiting the night, so that I could slip into my dreams and hopefully find some stray thoughts that may lead me to an answer.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I awoke to birds gently chirping outside, and rays of the new morning sunlight cascading their way through the window and door. Inuyasha and Kagome were outside, already debating over something or another. I averted my attention to Sango, who was still sleeping, Kirara curled and tucked into her side. 'Good,' I thought as I stood. 'she returned safely.' I walked outside to see what Kagome and Inuyasha were talking about.

"Inuyasha, one of us has to return!" Kagome stomped a foot and threw her arms to her side.

Inuyasha released a "Feh" and crossed his arms. "But if you return you'll never come back."

"Would _you_ rather go take care of Souta!?" She yelled, imitating Inuyasha's posture.

"Of course not!"

"Then I'm leaving!" She yanked her backpack off of the ground and turned around. "I'll be back tomorrow!" She yelled in anger as she headed toward the well.

I chuckled at the sight and Inuyasha turned around. "I doubt you're doing any better..." He murmured as he stared at me. "You can't even go anywhere _near_ Sango."

I stepped out casually and blinked in the bright sunlight. "With Kagome gone I'm sure I could clear things up." I thought aloud.

"And who says I'm 'gonna let you?" Inuyasha harshly joked. In fact, if it weren't for his smile, I would have taken that as a real threat.

"I'm sure she may have a say on the matter."

Inuyasha laughed as he jumped into a tree. Our conversations had become more... friendly lately. It seemed that Kagome was breaking Inuyasha down, and he was accepting more than just her. "Do whatever you want." He paused and looked down at me. "I know that you wouldn't hurt her." He added with a more serious tone.

I smiled up at him, and he smirked back. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

"Feh."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sango awoke later on. She was probably mentally exhausted after... yesterdays incident. I let her be for a while, trying to keep on her good side for as long as possible. In the mean time, I tried thinking of what I'd say to her. "Sango, I didn't make love to you but I'd like to." Yeah, I'm sure _that_ would work. "Sango, nothing happened and I don't plan on it happening either." No. Still very, _very_ bad. I glanced over at Shippou. He had been rather silent today...

"Shippou, is something the matter?" I asked as he seemed to shrink under the question.

"Um... not... nothing." He managed. He was talking to me as if I were Inuyasha in one of his foul moods. He inched away from me and seemed to look weary of my presence.

"Are you sure?"

"Just leave me alone okay!" He yelled, shooting up and running toward a sleeping Inuyasha. He awoke with a jolt and stared at the child in his lap.

"What the hell are _you_ doing?" He pushed Shippou off of his lap and the boy ran off, probably in search of Sango.

Inuyasha and I exchanged confused looks as I stood. "You don't know what's wrong with him, do you?" I asked.

"How the hell should I know?" He asked, his grumpy mood showing due to his rude awakening.

"You're sure you don't know anything? Anything that Kagome may have said?"

"Why are you asking me?" He asked, closing his eyes.

"Well for one, you were listening to Kagome and Sango while they talked about me, and he was with them. Two: I know that something has to be wrong if he went to _you_ for protection."

"Look, I don't know. Now leave me the hell alone or I'll-" I walked off. "Hey!"

"You want to be left alone, don't you?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Following Shippou proved to be easier than I thought. I was right in my prediction though, he had gone off in search of Sango. I found that once again, I was at the well. What had grown so special about the well lately? Was it the seclusion? Had Kagome been visiting her while she went to her era? My thoughts were interrupted by Kirara's mew.

"Sango," Shippou said as I heard him sit in the grass. "I'm afraid of Miroku." He said, as I heard Sango laugh.

"And why is that?" She asked.

"Well I heard you and Kagome talking the other day..."

'So it _had_ been something Kagome said!' I thought to myself as I turned to watch the two. Sango was sitting with her back against the well, one hand on the ground and the other petting Kirara in her lap. She was smiling and looked completely happy, considering what she thought I did the other day. Shippou was sitting in front of her, frowning.

"... and I heard her saying something about him."

"And what was that?" She asked almost cautiously. She stopped petting Kirara and the feline mewed, jumping from her lap.

"Well, I'm not sure what it means... but it sounds bad. And he's been acting weird."

"I'm not surprised." She murmured. "So, what was it that has you so scared?"

"Well, I heard her say "That sex hungry houshi doesn't want anything from you but your-" Sango cut him off by plunging forward, and pushed her hands over his mouth. She was blushing feverishly and glancing around. I, myself felt my face turning red.

'THAT'S what they were saying?!' I asked myself as I shifted my weight.

"Shh! Shh! Shh!" Shippou struggled under her hands and pried them away.

"What are you do-" Sango covered his mouth again and pulled him into her lap.

"Shippou," She began, still blushing. "please... _please, never_ repeat what you were about to say!" He nodded and she pulled her hands away from him, her blush fading.

"But Sango, what is "sex hungry"?" He asked innocently.

"Nothing! You don't need to know that quite yet!!" She yelled, the redness returning to her face.

"Well, will he want _my_ sex? 'Cause it sounds really scary and-" Sango covered his mouth again.

I almost fell at his question, and was happy that he went to Sango rather than Inuyasha.

"Shippou! Enough! You don't need to worry about any of this!"

He pulled away. "Oh! I get it! So he only wants your sex!" Sango tackled him and yelled.

The red in both mine and Sango's cheeks darkened as Shippou stared at her with confusion.

"Shippou! Stop! Someone could hear you! You don't understand what you're saying!" He pulled out from under her hold.

"Why are you so embarrassed?" He asked, his innocent tone almost making me kneel over laughing.

Sango sighed, trying to form her words. "Shippou... what you're talking about... It's... it's personal. I would rather you not talk about it anymore." Shippou seemed to understand and nodded. "Good. Now, please... go." He nodded once more and walked off in a scared silence as Sango sat, staring into the sky and trying to regain herself.

"Kirara," She said as the feline jumped back into her lap. "I'm never letting him hear one of my "personal" conversations again."

I slinked off back to the hut, leaving Sango and whatever thoughts she had there. There was _no_ way that I could face her right now, and at the moment it didn't look like it would be anytime soon. But how could I tell her the truth?

* * *

This is getting harder and harder to write... lol. Oh well, you never get better if you don't challenge yourself, right? Right! I rather enjoyed writing Shippou's reaction to Kagome's and Sango's conversation, though. Sorry for any typo's, I finished this at midnight and proof-read a minute ago, but the flow still seems awkward...

Oh yeah, I'm on summer break now! Whoo! Friday (May 25) was the last day of school! And guess what... I didn't cry! 'Cause I'm just that cool.

On another note, you may realize that sometimes when I have Kagome "sit" Inuyasha, I'll write "sit" and others I'll write "osuwari." I use whatever word fits properly. Sometimes the scene just doesn't call for the Japanese phrase, sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't matter either way. In this chapter, it really didn't matter, so I just went ahead and used "osuwari." In another, earlier chapter, I used "sit" because she was saying it repetitively. It just sounds better (opinion.) You guys probably don't care about this, and would rather I stop wasting your time, but if I were reading this it would get on my nerves without an explanation. -.-; (Sorry for the huge rants at the beginning and end of this... Review anyway?) 


	9. The Sight of Her Fear, and Her Blood

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: You know what, I did own Inuyasha. Then I heard a beeping and found that it was my alarm clock... I didn't even think I set it...

Ack! Terribly sorry for not updating sooner! o.0; Time flies by when you're having fun, I suppose. Lol.

**Mrs.CaptianJackSparrow1234:** Yes, he would have been sat in that scene, but if you'll notice, I wrote "I would sit you" as a thought, not her actually saying it. Kagome's thoughts cannot be heard, so therefore Inuyasha cannot be sat. :) Lucky him.

To anyone else who may be confused, anything in 'this' is a thought, anything in "this" is speech.

Anehway, I really don't have much more to say. Just that, hopefully I really _will_ start updating sooner! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9:  
The Sight of Her Fear, and Her Blood

Rays of the new morning sunlight cascaded through Kagome's window as she began to turn on her back. She blinked the tiredness out of her eyes as she soaked in the morning, slowly but surely awakening more and more with each blink. She sat up in her bed and threw her covers down to her feet. The girl hardly had time to yawn before someone threw her door open.

"Kagome!" The person yelled, as she sleepily turned her head to them.

"Souta," She stretched her arms. "what's wrong?" She asked in a bit of a yawn.

"Guess what! I'm better now!" He ran over to his sister's side and jumped onto the side of her bed. "See! Feel my forehead!"

Kagome blinked a few times before his rambling soaked in. "Oh... okay." She put her hand on his forehead and smiled softly. "You _are_ better, but still a little warm." She stood up and pulled him off of her bed by the arm. "Now get out of my room so I can change!" She jokingly yelled.

"Okay... but do you know _when_ I'll be all better?" He childishly asked as she pushed him out of the room.

Kagome turned her back to him and crossed her arms. "How'm I supposed to know?" She asked, then turned back around. "Now go! I need to get dressed. Inuyasha's gonna be here today and we're going to search for that demon."

"So Inuyasha will be back!?" He asked, standing in her door way.

"Yes, but he won't be able to stay for long. He's just picking me up."

Souta moaned as he turned to go back to his room, leaving his sister to her privacy. He may have been a child, but he still knew that people had to have their privacy every once in a while. He stepped into his room silently, hearing his mother in the kitchen already; a sign that she must be better as well. Whatever illness this was, (they absolutely refused to go to the doctor unless need be) it was long and dreadful, but it was leaving and they were glad. Finally, they could get on with their lives, and Kagome could return to the feudal era. Though she would never admit it, they noticed. Kagome would MUCH rather be with Inuyasha than here, even when she returned on normal conditions. She was so readable.

There was a crash in the kitchen and Souta ran down to find the source of it. Trying to act tough, he ran through the door. Maybe his tough front wasn't as strong with his eyes closed? Hm... maybe it was the fact that he was shaking. Nether the less, he heard a boy laughing. Opening his eyes, a smile grew on his face as he saw Inuyasha, picking up a pot off of the floor.

"Yo. Sorry to scare you two, but I came to get Kagome."

Souta's mother smiled, trying to regain her steady breathing. "It's alright, dear." She took the pot from Inuyasha's hand and smiled lightly. Inuyasha had respect for her. Of course, his pride would never allow him to say it aloud. But she was really nice to him, and that alone gained her his respect. There was also the fact that she was _Kagome's_ mom, and he could only guess how short _her_ fuse was. "Are you hungry? Would you like me to make you something?"

"No, thanks." He replied as he turned to the boy at his side.

Souta tugged at his haori and smiled. "You want to play with me?" He asked, his eyes shimmering with expectancy. Why did this kid look up to him? He was a DEMON for goodness sakes! Despite his thoughts, Inuyasha nodded.

"I would, but Kagome and I have to return to the feudal era." Souta shot him a look that was on the boundaries of disappointment and accusation.

"You just don't want to play with me!" Inuyasha was about to make a retort before Kagome walked in. Souta followed his stare and practically shrank under her angry glare.

"What are you doing here so early?!" Inuyasha nearly fell over.

"You're the one who said we should get an early start!"

"Well I _kind of_ wanted to have a bit of time to read that book!"

"Can't you just read while we search?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I can't necessarily read while riding on your back!" Souta looked at Inuyasha, puzzled.

"Will you give _me_ a piggy-back-ride, Inuyasha?"

'What the hell does this kid think I am?' He asked himself, scratching the back of his head. "Why don't I just play those 'video games' with you?" He asked, trying to avoid Kagome's almost constant nagging. The boy nodded as he clutched Inuyasha's hand, guiding him to his room. "There." He whispered tauntingly to her as he passed. "You can read your book now."

Kagome was left in the kitchen, clutching the purple book to her chest. So what just happened?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After coming out of her daze, Kagome realized that she indeed, had time to read the book. She was sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the pages. It was too quiet to read. That was _really_ annoying. Seeking a louder room, Kagome absentmindedly walked into her brother's room, and was greeted by the sound of car engines and a loud "CRASH." Just _perfect_. One room was too quiet, the other, too loud. She sat in between Inuyasha and Souta, much preferring their company over her walls.

"So what's the purpose of this game?" She finally asked out of boredom, reaching for the book behind her.

"To _race_." Souta said rudely, throwing his elbow in front her as he took a sharp turn.

On the bottom part of the screen, Inuyasha was repetitively hitting a wall, gritting his teeth more and more with each hit. After thinking that his teeth were to crumble under the force of each other, Kagome swiftly took the controller and turned his car so that it was facing the right way. Gosh... even _she_ knew that! He looked at her blankly as she gave him an irritated smirk. Kagome gently placed the controller back into his still opened hands as he released a "Keh!" and went back to the game.

'Oh, what fun...' She thought as she opened her book up, which was a little farther than the hot spring scene.

_The tajiya stepped into the day as she stretched her arms. She looked over to her feline companion, who was resting quietly against a tree, which Inuyasha had been napping in. She looked around one last time before slinking off into the Inuyasha Forest. She walked for some time until she heard a voice._

"Sango-chan..." The voice called, an eerie, almost taunting tone laced it.

'What do **you** want?' She asked within the confines of her mind, knowing that somehow this presence knew her thoughts. She loathed this woman, the woman who could control her at times of vulnerability, the woman who taunted her when Miroku was spotted with women, the woman who pretended to help, but Sango knew that there was no such thing as help from **this** woman. This woman caused her great pain, and still held a front that offered help.

"Sango-chan, he still doesn't love you. Bring him to me, dear. Bring him to me and we'll show him-" Sango cut the voice off, grabbing her head with her fists and falling to her knees.

"Shut up!" She yelled aloud, not caring who was near. "I don't care! Just **leave**!" Her head was throbbing, her whole body tingling, as she felt her arm grow warm, warmer, and warmer to the point where she felt as it were aflame. She clutched it, clenching her teeth in pain. The marks on her arm grew to her shoulder blade and stopped, glowing deep purple.

"Sango-chan," The voice began, almost silent. The tajiya strained to listen, despite her better judgment. "I now see that you cannot be controlled even with advanced methods." She began laughing quietly, her alto voice stained with hideous laughter. "I will have to push you further, Sango-chan. I will have to push you further than anyone before. Lets, you and I, hope that you will survive."

The marks on Sango's arm glowed red... blood red. There was a sound of metal against skin, but no image, and small amounts of blood sprayed from the marks, Sango falling again to the forest floor, her forehead pinned to the ground under the intense pain. "What..." She tried sitting up, but there was a tug at her heart. She collapsed again and fell into the black cloak of unconsciousness.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You **will** listen to me. You **will** succumb to the poison!" The voiced yelled, as if right in front of the girl in pain.

"Poison?! Why am I not dead?" The tajiya asked through her dreams, luckily unfeeling of any pain at the moment. '**Am** I dead?' She thought to herself, the demon hearing the question.

She heard a chuckle from behind her. As the tajiya tried turning around, she fell back to the ground, finding vines holding her in place. "You are still of use to me..." She turned her body as best she could to spot the demon behind her.

"I'd rather die than to spend another minute under your control!" She shot back, wishing she could jump up and slit the demons neck.

"That can be arranged." The demon's eyes went bright green and Sango woke with a start, feeling her heart slow and burn even more with each passing second. Clutching her chest, tears formed at the edges of her eyes.

"Oh, Sango-chan, when will you learn that I hold your very life in my very hands?" The voice mocked the girl lying on the forest ground, pain raking her body.

The tajiya looked around, finding no body that held the voice. "Show yourself you coward!!" She yelled into nothingness, finding an ounce of strength in order to half-stand, clutching her still bleeding arm with one hand and her chest with the other. She heard a chuckle from behind her and turned around to meet a tall demon.

"Sango-chan," The female demon reached out her hand and cupped the tajiya's cheek in a motherly fashion. The tajiya shuddered under the woman's cold touch. Her hair was short and black, contrasting with a deathly white skin tone. She had emerald green eyes which seemed to see through anything, and currently seemed to be looking right through Sango. "I'm only trying to help you, dear."

"Only trying to help yourself!" Sango bit back as she pulled out of the sickly grasp, almost losing her already unsteady balance. The marks were still slowly bleeding and she still clutched her chest, her heart still burning.

"Well, in the process, I'm helping you." She moved forward, her small frame seemed as if it could break with the slightest push. Deep green marks, which matched the style of the ones on Sango, teased the woman's cheek bones, trailing down her neck and stopped at the center of her chest in the form of a vine-like circle. She smirked, titling her head to the side as she reached her hand out again. "I can take this pain away, dear." She told the tajiya, who was beginning to lose her strength and tried backing away.

The tajiya continued to stare as she fell to a sitting posture, amazed at the woman's beauty. If she weren't trying to kill her, she'd consider the demon a princess of some sort. She wore a strange kimono, which was a shade of deep, forest green. It hung partially open, barely showing the marks that this demon bore on her chest, and a little cleavage. Along with that, the kimono was tight and short, reaching a point about an inch above the woman's knees. There were flower embroideries, the color, and form of the flower that supposedly held Sango under her control. It seemed that the flower wasn't the only thing she tried using to allure, Sango had noticed. She was barefoot, and vines seemed to snake their way about two inches above the woman's ankles. She was snapped back to reality by a sharp increase of pain, which went as quickly as it had come. "I cannot simply kill you yet, Sango-chan, for I have a job for you."

"Which involves Miroku!" She replied, a venomous rage lacing her voice.

The demon seemed un-phased, yet faked happiness. "Now you understand, my dear!" She smiled and clapped her hands as if her child had just accomplished something.

"Well I'm not doing it! You can just kill me now!" She yelled, maintaining her posture as she glared at the demon.

The demons smile faded as she pouted her lips. "It seems that you **don't** understand after all." She crossed her arms, her smile coming back onto her features. "I'm afraid that you have no choice, dear. I'll allow your freedom for now, but be aware that I can take it away just as easily!" With that, a black smoke formed around her as Sango covered her mouth.

'Poisonous gas!' She thought as the image of the demon blurred from vision. With one final jolt of pain, she, and the smoke vanished into thin air.

Standing, the tajiya found that her strength was normal once more, and that the marks had stopped bleeding, and were completely healed. Looking around, she found the houshi standing with his mouth agape. She stared into his eyes, trying to find what he wanted to say, though she could not. Turning slowly, she faced the village. The tajiya heard him say something, but all of here senses were un-working. The embarrassment of the other day... the humility of her defenseless encounter just moments ago... She couldn't simply face him, not now. She ran into the village, past confused villagers, past unnoticing children, to Kirara. She may not have been able to go to her friends for help, but she and Kirara could go alone. She was **far** from the helpless woman that this demon made her out to be, and was determined to prove it... even if it would cost her life.'

Kagome was interrupted by a nudge and someone's voice. "... or what?"

She stared up at golden eyes, before collecting her thoughts once more. "Huh?" She asked as he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I said, are you ready to go or what?" He replied, pulling her arm in attempt to get going.

"Oh!" She said as she stood beside, holding the book to her chest. "Well, just wait a minute; I need to get my bag." Mumbling, Inuyasha released her arm and crossed his own.

"Hurry up then!"

"Well look who's talking!" She replied jokingly, already running to her room.

The girl threw her book onto her bed, where another purple covered book happened to be sitting, which was her science book. Digging through her drawers, Kagome frowned, wondering how long she'd be gone. 'Probably a few days, the demon shouldn't be _too_ hard to track down...' Throwing the clothes and such into her yellow backpack, she swiped the book off of her bad and stuffed it into her bag, running down to the kitchen.

"Just give me a minute!" She yelled over to Inuyasha, who was giving her confused and impatient glares. "I have to get food now, don't I?"

As she finished packing her bag, Kagome smiled up at Inuyasha, who leant down to pick it up. He held it by one of the straps as he growled slightly. "Are you ready to go yet?"

Smiling at him again, Kagome lifted a finger to shush him. "Bye mom, Souta, Grandpa!" She yelled up the stairs. "Inuyasha and I are leaving now!"

"'Bout time!" Souta yelled down, still probably playing his video game. Kagome ignored it, and saw her mom poke her head out of her bedroom.

"Bye sweetie! Be careful and tell your friend to get well soon." Kagome had told her mom that Sango was ill, but didn't want worry her more with what really happened.

She didn't hear a reply from her grandfather, but figured he was sulking about Inuyasha taking her once again, since he still didn't like the hanyou.

"Sure thing." With that, she and Inuyasha walked out of the house and into the shrine.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Mhm." Was her reply, jumping into the well with Inuyasha following.

Climbing out of the well, the couple felt somewhat peaceful, despite the fact that they were about to go searching for some demon that could control people to do her bidding. But then again, what else was new? Sitting on the edge of the well as she did so many times before, she breathed in the fresh air of the feudal era, unscarred with pollution. Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand firmly set on her shoulder. She looked to the side and found Inuyasha's somewhat worried stare. "What is it?"

"Sango." It was all he had to say before the two were flying through the woods, desperate to find their friend.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Miroku was running blindly through the forest, desperate to find _something_ of an answer. Inuyasha and Sango had left without warning, and had been gone for quite a while, leaving his worry to grow.

The houshi began getting more worried. Sure, Inuyasha had probably gone to get Kagome, but he hadn't the slightest clue on where Sango was. His thoughts were put to a halt when he saw Sango, clutching a bleeding arm and her chest, sitting on the ground and staring up at a strange demon.

"I cannot simply kill you yet, Sango-chan, for I have a job for you." The woman said, staring down at the woman before her.

"Which involves Miroku!" Sango replied, obvious rage intertwined with her voice.

'A job?' Miroku asked himself, taken aback by the strange sight. 'Involving me?' Sango wasn't usually sitting helpless on the ground, listening to the ramblings of some woman. This _had_ to be the demon that controlled Sango. As he was about to run after the two, he stopped at the demons change of posture.

"Now you understand, my dear!" She smiled and clapped her hands.

"Well I'm not doing it! You can just kill me now!" She yelled, maintaining her posture as she glared at the demon.

The demons smile faded as she pouted. "It seems that you **don't** understand after all." She crossed her arms, her smile forming once more. "I'm afraid that you have no choice, dear. I'll allow your freedom for now, but be aware that I can take it away just as easily!" With that, a black smoke formed around her as Sango covered her mouth.

Miroku stood, unknowing of what to do, or what was going on. He simply stared as the demon blurred from vision. As Sango clutched her chest tighter for mere seconds, the demon, and the smoke vanished into thin air.

Unknowing to the pair, Inuyasha and Kagome had landed behind the cover of the trees, watching as the demon disappeared.

Miroku began walking closer to the woman before he was stopped by her angry gaze. He stood staring at her for a few moments before she turned around. "Sango! What's wrong?" He tried asking, running up behind her. She ignored the question and ran into the village, Miroku not following behind.

Inuyasha and Kagome walked out from their hiding place, standing at Miroku's side. "What happened?" Kagome finally asked.

"I'm not sure... but it has to do with her marked hand." Miroku replied, his gaze still on the spattered blood on the ground.

"Yeah, and that woman was probably the demon. She smelled of the flower that had marked Sango." Kagome looked up at the hanyou in concern.

"So what do you think she's planning?" She asked.

"I don't know... but it can't be good. Miroku... you should go talk to her. This whole damn thing revolves around the two of you."

"Right." Miroku set off into a sprint into the village, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha to their thoughts.

"Kagome... her blood is _covered_ with the scent of that flower." Inuyasha stepped forward and put his fingers in the small and shallow puddle of blood. He sniffed it and smirked. "A demon that smells of flowers can't be too hard to find... lets just hope that Sango is ready to travel."

Kagome stood next to him, looking into the blood puddle. "Inuyasha, this is getting too dangerous. At first it wasn't such a threat, but you saw her pain... her face... we need to stop this before it gets any worse."

He nodded in agreement.

* * *

Well there you go! Very slightly longer than usual. Shippou is with Kirara at this point, just so you know. No, our little kitsune didn't die! D Point out anything weird with this, because a little voice in my head is nagging at me, saying that I'm missing something. -.-; Stupid voices... They also want you to review! ;D 


	10. From a Dream to Reality

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: I own this story... nothing more.

Nothing much to say. I wish that I would have had more reviews... oh well, maybe I'll live. There is no inspiration where I live, but I'm going out to my grandparent's and they live on a lake, so maybe I'll come back with another chapter written. Enjoy this one for now!

* * *

Chapter 10:  
From a Dream to Reality

As I ran into the town, her footsteps stood out from everything else. I couldn't hear the laughter of the children, the chatter amongst the villagers, anything besides the steady foot-falls. I tried keeping calm as I knew what she was going to do. I knew Sango all to well to not notice that look in her eye. She was determined to slay that demon who foolishly saw her as another helpless woman. She was determined to do it alone too, despite the fact that the demon seemed to hold her life in her hands.

The thought struck me as quickly and fiercely as any attack could: if Sango didn't do as the demon wanted her to, she could easily die. At the thought I came to a stop, feeling the pain of loss already. 'Sango... do you plan on killing yourself on this mission?!' I saw her turn a corner and fall to her knees, sadly smiling down at someone, most likely Kirara.

As I began walking after her once again, a flame formed and Kirara appeared in her larger form, looking a bit as if she were desperate. The fire cat turned her head to me, staring at me as if asking something. 'What does she want?' I asked myself, now at another stop. Sango turned to me, her whole expression sad, angry, and determined. She turned away, spared me another look, and swiftly jumped onto Kirara's back, urging the demon to leave.

Kirara didn't seem to have the same intentions. Demon or not, she knew that something like this was suicidal, and she cared for her master. "Kirara, we _must_ go." At the sound of the tajiya's voice, she slowly lifted from the ground and stared into the sky.

Before I knew it, I was running after them again, grabbing a hold of Sango's leg. "Sango! Don't go; we can figure this out together!" I yelled to the tajiya, almost rising off of the ground myself.

"I don't need you _or_ the others!" Her voice had risen in pitch but dropped once more. "I can take care of myself." She looked to the ground opposite of me, showing no intention of forcing me off.

"Kirara, down." I ordered, and the fire cat obeyed graciously. "Sango," I said once Kirara was grounded once more. I reached for the woman's hand but she pulled it away. "You may be able to fend for yourself but you have to face it, this demon can kill you easily."

"I'm not defenseless, Miroku!" She shot, staring at me with complete fury in her gaze.

"I know that!" I shot, recollecting myself once more. "You are obviously capable of protecting yourself, but you know just as well as I that this demon has done something to you." I pulled her sleeve up to reveal the proof. "Sango, these marks were bleeding mere moments ago and now they're fine. She has obviously done more than place markings on your skin. She..."

"I know." She said, pulling her arm away and covering it once more. "She... she said that there is poison in my body. She somehow controls it, and can put it into affect at will."

"See, more the reason to let us go with you." I tried hiding the sudden fear that entered my thoughts but she saw through it.

"Either way this goes, I'm most likely going to die. I'd rather die defending myself, rather than having my friends fight for more time."

"It's senseless to talk like that! There _is_ a way to save you, and we're going to figure it out."

"Miroku," She got off of Kirara and stood in front of me. "you just think that I'm blindly going to fight her, don't you?" She waited for no answer. "I've been thinking about this ever since I first found out about what this was... I've found that the only way is for me to go alone so you..." She stopped, pulling her fist to her pouted lips.

"So I... what?"

She sighed, turning to stroke Kirara's head. "Nothing. I just don't want you... any of you... to get hurt." Kirara began purring as Sango looked over to me. "I'm not worth it."

"Not worth it? What makes you think that?" Silence.

Kagome's voice came from behind me. "You're well worth it, Sango-chan. Whether you think so or not, even Inuyasha will risk his own life to save yours." I turned to the miko and found Inuyasha walking up behind her.

"Feh. She can die for all I care if she's so stubborn to think that she can handle this on her own."

"Inuyasha," She nudged him and smiled warmly at Sango. "Don't mind him. But either way, we're going to help you and we're going to destroy that demon, so you can rid yourself of this "curse." Besides, I doubt Miroku here would let you go very far without following too far behind." She winked, turning to me. "Isn't that right?"

Sango decided to make a joke out of the situation. "As if I'd let _him_ follow _me_."

Inuyasha smirked. "I think I'd have to agree with her. We don't want a repeat of the hot springs." Kagome turned to him.

"Inuyasha!!"

"What? I'm just saying that the two can't really be trusted alone." Sango blushed as Shippou stood next to the now-small Kirara.

"Inuyasha, how could you say that? I, for one trust Sango-chan!"

"Yeah but she's not really herself right now, is she?"

"Well..." Kagome was recalling the events that occurred only recently. She gave up fighting with him and crossed her arms with closed eyes. "Osuwari." She mumbled under her breath, signaling his face-plant.

"Sango," I turned to her, trying to ignore the two. "can I talk to you?" Sango, on the other hand was still watching the fight.

"Can't it wait?"

Kagome noticed and pulled Inuyasha's ear, whispering something to him. When the effect of the beads wore off, he sat up and stared at her. "When will you make up your mind?"

"About what?" She asked, dumbfounded as the two walked off with Shippou and Kirara at their heels.

"Well, I guess not." Sango turned to me and crossed her arms. "Okay, so what do you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to tell you about what happened at the hot springs." She blushed at the thought and looked toward the ground. "Sango, you don't have to worry about anything. We-"

"I know." She said, still looking at her feet.

"You... know? What?"

"Well, Miroku. You see... I _know_ what happens when the demon controls me. I can see, I just can't... well, control my body."

I looked at her with relief. "Oh, well I suppose that's good."

"Good?! How is that good?" She looked up at me.

"It's good," I calmly said, raising a finger. "Because for one, you probably wouldn't believe me if you didn't see for yourself." I grinned and raised another finger with closed eyes. "And two, if you're aware of what's going on, you can probably gain control easier."

She turned away from me and placed a finger on her chin. "That actually makes sense." She thought aloud, unknowingly leaving an opening for me.

I hadn't really thought, but my hand seemed to find its way onto her bottom without my control. As I braced myself for her regular slap, I found that nothing was heading toward my head. "It's been a while." She said, causing me to automatically retract my hand.

"What?!" I yelled, looking to her hand for the blue marks. Red.

She seemed to have realized what she said and brought her hands to her cheeks. "I mean... I mean... you haven't groped me in a while!" Her face was blood red as she closed her eyes in embarrassment. "I mean... you lecher!" Finally getting it right, she emphasized her "anger" and slapped my face, walking away.

Sure, it was always worth each slap she gave me. But this time, it was _well_ worth it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So are we all agreed?" Inuyasha asked as Shippou jumped onto my shoulder.

"Well, obviously. We can't necessarily let this demon control Sango."

"Well, no, but there's always the chance that once she's dead, the poison can still kill her." Kagome's face nearly lost all of it's color.

"Inuyasha!" She punched the top of his head. "Don't say things like that!"

Half expecting another bout between the two, I turned to Sango. "So you're okay with us going with you?" I asked.

"I suppose I have no choice."

"True." I grinned at her disapproving frown.

"Do you find joy in making me angry?"

"No, but I find joy in _seeing_ you angry," I grabbed her hand. "because your anger makes you all the more beautiful."

Turning her head away, she still stared at me through the corner of her eyes. "I see." She said in a flat voice.

We turned our heads at the sound of Kagome's voice. "I suppose we're ready then." She said, standing with Shippou in her arms.

"I suppose." Sango said, obviously still upset with us for following. Kirara circled her feet, glad to finally be moving after such a long break. Mewing at Sango's attention, the cat transformed and allowed her and me on.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Landing on a branch, Inuyasha stopped and sniffed at the air.

"What is it?" Kagome asked, getting off of his back. The forest was silent around us as no animals made noise and there was no body of water near.

Kirara dove toward the branch. "I sense a demonic aura, but it's weak and I can't pinpoint it." Sango nodded and Kagome tried focusing on the aura.

"It doesn't seem like something that we should worry about." Kagome finally said. "I mean, the demon that we're after _has_ to have a stronger aura than that one, right?"

"But her scent is all over the place." Inuyasha crossed his arms and leaned against the tree. "She's got to be here."

"Do you think it's possible that she's underground?" Sango asked, looking below her as we all followed her stare.

Inuyasha shrugged, jumping out of the tree. He put his ear to the ground and frowned. After a bit of moving around, he stood and dusted himself off. "From what I can tell, the ground's pretty solid here. I doubt she's underground."

"Then I guess we should-" There was a clash of thunder as a downpour of rain began. Shippou nearly jumped out of his skin as he clung to Kagome's shirt.

Kagome, still standing in the tree, looked down at Inuyasha angrily with her last thought forgotten. "Come get me before I fall!"

"Fine, fine." After retrieving Kagome, Inuyasha settled against a tree. "We might as well stop for tonight. This spot's just as good as any, right?" Another clash of thunder sounded and a streak of lightning shot across the sky.

"Yeah, I guess." Kagome was already preparing her sleeping bag.

Shippou jumped into the bag and stretched. "So what're we going to do now?"

I settled in front of a tree across from Sango, knowing that she wanted her space from me at the moment. "I don't know, but I suggest we think about that in the morning. Chances are that we're going to have a tough battle with this demon tomorrow. So we better rest up."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Shippou said within a yawn, falling to sleep along with Kagome.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Deep within the night, I felt myself being wrapped into a nightmare. Inside it, I opened my eyes to a normal looking forest. Before me was a glowing flower. It had red petals resembling those of the flower that brought Sango under control of the demon._

"Wait a minute... This **is** that flower!" I spun around, feeling a deep slice in my back. Looking into the face of the culprit, I fell to the ground.

Her hair was undone, wrapping around her. Her eyes stared down at me with remorse, and in her hand was the katana which she carried with her. "Miroku..." She said, her voice holding a low pitch. "I'm sorry." She was now trying to hold back the tears that began seeping from the corners of her eyes. She lifted up the katana and squeezed them shut. "She's going to kill you, just run! Run!!" Her voice traveled higher and higher, and got to the point where it was barely distinguishable.

I shot up, pulling her closer to me. "No, Sango! I'm not running from you, I'm not leaving you alone!" I squeezed her tighter.

She pulled back and held the katana low with both hands, her eyes squeezed shut. "Miroku!" She yelled in pure anguish, and then all went black.

A raspy gasp was the only sound I could make as I awoke from this nightmare. "Damn it." I muttered at I sat up straight. I looked to where Sango had been before I fell asleep, but the spot was empty. Deciding to ignore the odd feeling in the pit of my stomach, I tried to go back to sleep. That is, until there was a rustling from behind me. "Sango?" I asked, turning to face whoever it was.

As I had suspected, she was standing there in her battle gear, facing away from me. She seemed to have not heard me, and walked forward carefully with Kirara at her heels and her hiraikotsu in hand.

'What is she planning on doing? Leaving us?' I asked myself, deciding on following rather than confronting her.

I had followed her for some time before she stopped, staring at something in front of her. She dropped her weapon to the ground as Kirara sat next to her, staring at the same place. Puzzled, I decided to step from the bushes and make her aware of my presence. "Sango, what are you doing?"

She spun around in surprise, too baffled to speak. Shaking her head, Sango began stepping back and backed into a tree.

"What's going on here?" I asked, looking at her arm. It was covered and there wasn't enough light to see her hand.

She stepped forward with a new look in her eyes, a look of complete blankness. "Look down." She whispered with fear, which sparked my own, her eyes continued to hold the blank stare.

As my eyes fell to the ground, I still heard her move toward me. I didn't look up though; I couldn't take my eyes off of the sight before me. It was the flower that the demon used to control Sango. I heard a shift in Sango's movement and spun around to be greeted a stab in the back. The wind picked up as Sango held her bloody katana in front of her in a battle stance.

'No... it can't be!' I yelled within the confines of my mind, knowing this scene too well.

Her eyes were filled with the remorse as they were in my dreams. "Miroku..."

"No..." I stepped forward, knowing what would come next. But maybe... maybe this time I could change it. Maybe this would be just like the book that Kagome had.

"I'm sorry." She squeezed her eyes shut, yet her voice stayed the same. "She's going to kill you, just run! Run!!" I shot forward, and instead of holding her, I pinned her to the ground. She dropped the katana and I got a look of her hand. As I had suspected, it was blue.

"Sango, where is she?" I asked, knowing that this was meant to be a trap.

Her eyes were wide, filled with horror as she looked past me. "Behind you...!"

* * *

Okies, there it is. Sorry for ending at a cliffie. Heh heh, it was kind of unavoidable. I'll try to get another one in sooner. Please review! 


	11. Tree House

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Hey, thanks for the reviews. Hah, that song "Poison" did go with that last part of chapter 6. And I read it just quickly enough for the song to end when Sango fainted. xD  
-ahem- Anehway, I got a lot of writing done at the lake, but I've been really lazy and didn't type it out. -grins sheepishly- Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 11:  
Tree House

The houshi barely turned around before two vines grazed his cheek, smashing into the ground right next to Sango's head. Sparing her another look, he jumped up and grabbed his shakujou on the ground. There was no doubt, this woman the one who confronted Sango that day. The demon's short black hair caught in the slightest of breezes as she angrily glared at Sango, who was still lying on the ground.

"Damn you!" She yelled, her emerald eyes shining in her fury. "Why will you not kill him?!"

Miroku stood in front of Sango, eyeing the demon. "She's stronger than you think," He began, resisting the urge to plunge right at her. "and she will not succumb to this trance so easily."

"You!" She said, stepping out from the trees. Vines unwrapped themselves from her bare feet as she walked, only to wrap around them once again with each new step she took. "_You're_ the reason she won't fall, aren't you!"

Miroku smirked, "So now you see." He shot forward and caught the demon off guard, but it unfortunately wasn't enough. His shakujou barely missed her as she seemed to disappear into the forest. A cackle came from the trees as Miroku looked around with all sensed focused on them.

"You fool! I'm Masami! I control everything around you." Her angry voice became taunting as the branches of the trees shook around the pair. "There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. You'll die here tonight!" Leaves shot from a tree behind Miroku, and on contact, sliced through his robes and cut his skin shallowly.

Sango was still on the ground, trying to fight the poison that kept her from controlling her body. She felt her arm move, trying to force it another way. 'Miroku!!' She yelled, noticing that she had lost complete control. She saw Miroku coming nearer, wait, _she_ was moving! She felt the katana in her hand and tried dropping it with no avail. Closing her eyes, only to open them once more, she heard the katana cut his skin and his fall to the ground. Playing as the trigger to her subconscious, the sight of Miroku's blood brought Sango back and she fell onto his motionless body.

A light, but high-pitched laughter came from the trees. "Very good, Sango-chan. He's lucky, because I would have made his death _much_ more painful. At least he fell before the woman he loved." She mocked with transparent pity.

Sango hid her joy to find that Miroku's wound was merely on his shoulder. "Miroku," She said softly, shaking him to get up. "tell me, where do you sense her?"

He looked up at the tajiya and smiled slightly. "I see that you're back." She nodded and looked around warily.

"Look, Miroku. You can sense her demonic aura. Tell me where she is; or at least where she could be."

"It's nice to know that you care about me so much." Miroku joked, sitting up and holding his bloody shoulder. "I think that she's... over there." Miroku pointed near the direction of Kirara with his good arm. He stood up, but Sango grabbed his clean shoulder.

"Let me fight, Miroku."

"You and I both know I'm very capable of fighting. Even with a wound."

"Yes, I know that. But," She bit her lip, turning her head to the ground.

"I understand. Just go."

"Thank you, Miroku. You stay here. I'll kill her on my own." Sango ran up to Kirara, who had already transformed so that the two could have easier access to the tree tops. With her hiraikotsu in hand, she jumped on Kirara's back.

The tajiya had disappeared into the trees in an instant, leaving the injured houshi behind. He frowned at the shaking of the leaves. It seemed that each tree shook on its own. He scanned them, looking for some sort of pattern, and noticed that one wasn't right. One tree didn't seem to be trembling as much; it seemed to have just been affected by the others, instead of moving on its own.

Miroku saw the hiraikotsu fly from the trees, returning to its owner. It may have been a trick of the eye, but Miroku could have swore that he saw Masami standing to his left, in midair, though when he turned his head, she was gone. Turning his attention back to the battle, he saw that the forest was still where the hiraikotsu had once been, and no sounds were being made.

Suddenly, Sango fell from the trees, Kirara missing from the scene.

"Sango!" He yelled, running up to the fallen slayer. "Sango, are you alright?"

"Nnn... yeah, I'm fine." She sat up, holding her head. "Where's Kirara? I was with her and all of a sudden, she was gone... and I went flying."

"I don't know, probably still in there."

"Then I'm going back in."

'She's probably going to hate me for this,' He thought as they split paths. 'but I _must_ get Inuyasha!' Miroku ran the opposite direction of Sango, his shakujou jingling through the near-silent forest. The threes shook all around him, even though he was running from the battle field. He figured that he was somehow being watched, but there was no other way to contact the hanyou.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sango had caught up with Kirara, who was looking around angrily. "Kirara, go back to Miroku." She said, eyeing the barrier that was standing before them. The fire cat ran off as she repositioned the hiraikotsu on her back, looking around her. "This must be Masami's." She brushed her fingertips against it. "But I wonder how resistant it is...?" Leaving the questions behind, she ran in, knowing that she wasn't turning back now.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Inuyasha," Miroku ran up to the hanyou, out of breath.

"What happened?" He asked, noticing his shoulder. "And where's Sango?"

"I'm fine, but Sango went off to fight Masami herself. We have to go help her!"

Without answering, Inuyasha walked over to Kagome and shook her awake, gently pulling her onto his back. He picked up the miko's weapon and Shippou, and faced Miroku. "Lead the way." He said without question.

Miroku ran back through the forest, following the shaking trees on his way. He knew the possibility of a trap, but he also knew that Sango would be wherever Masami was. Kagome groaned from the hanyou's back and gasped at the sight of Miroku's blood.

"Miroku, what happened to you?!" She asked, nearly falling off of Inuyasha's back.

"Kagome, calm down." He said, repositioning her without slowing down.

"Sorry," She said, still waiting for the answer to her frantic question.

"Don't worry about it; it's merely a flesh wound. But I fear that Sango will be in much worse shape if we don't hurry."

"Wait, I'm confused."

"We'll explain later Kagome, here." He handed her the bow and arrow, coming to a stop behind Miroku. Shippou was stirred awake by the abrupt stop, still half sleeping in Inuyasha's arms. Inuyasha handed the kitsune to Kagome, sniffing the air and drew his brows together. "She's here alright. I'm surprised I didn't smell her earlier." Miroku and Kagome nodded in agreement, about to step through the thick forest.

Kirara burst through the forest without her owner as they about to enter. "Kirara, where's Sango?" The feline tilted her head toward the shaking trees, growling quietly. The trees seemed to calm themselves, as if Masami were leaving.

"I wonder if anything happened to her." Kagome thought aloud with worry tinting her voice. Miroku turned to Inuyasha, a new thought coming to mind. Inuyasha saw the question in his face.

"I don't smell any blood besides yours yet. So far she's fine."

"Kagome, be careful. She's after my spiritual power, and she's bound to go after yours as well." Miroku said, keeping a steady pace as he stepped over and around various roots and vines. Kirara took the lead of the group, being the only one knowing the correct path. She stopped abruptly and turned to Miroku. "Is this where you last saw her?" He asked, stepping forward. The houshi reached out, and as he suspected, there was a barrier. "Inuyasha,"

"Leave it to me." With no visible effort, Inuyasha destroyed the barrier, remaining light blue particles circling around him as he sheathed his sword. "That was a bit _too_ easy." He said, taking lead once more. "With each thing we come across, I doubt how strong she is even more."

"Well there's always the possibility of a trap." Kagome said as she brought up the rear of the group. She stepped cautiously trough the tall grass, dodging hanging branches and roots along the way.

"We must be getting close. Her stench is everywhere." Inuyasha turned a corner, running face-first into a rather thick vine. "Damn it!" He threw his hand to his face, whipping the dew from it. "Ew..." He muttered, flicking his fingers free from the moisture.

Shippou couldn't help but chuckle, though it hardly came out audible in his sleepy state. Ignoring it, the group ventured on.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sango slapped yet another group of branches from her path, highly irritable at the moment. She felt as if she were going in circles, not getting anywhere near the demon. 'Then again, she could be anywhere, being able to control the forest around me.' The very though of that brought an involuntary shiver up her spine. 'Ugh, stop thinking about that! You're going to get yourself killed being constantly distracted.'

She hastily brought out her katana, slowing her actions in remembrance of what had happened with Miroku mere hours ago. 'I can't believe I was so weak...' She told herself, staring intently at the weapon. 'Though not fatal, I allowed myself to be controlled by Masami... and I attacked Miroku.' She shook her head, throwing the weapon out in front of her and slicing a vine. She couldn't think of him any longer. It was too painful... too distracting. She knew that she probably wouldn't live past tonight, but someone had to go down with her. 'If only... If only I could have had a bit more time with him.'

Sango shivered against the cold breeze that flew by, blowing her hair with it and bringing up leaves into its spiraling path. She ventured on, knowing by now to follow the path of the forest around her. Though random and twisting, and really no path at all, she knew that it was meant for her to walk. She knew it was meant for all of those other women before her, as well. It was the path that they were tricked into following, the path that had brought not only their fate, but the fate of the ones that they also cared for.

'But I'm different!' She told herself, trying to bring confidence back into her body. 'I'm not letting her kill Miroku! I'm different...' She already felt the confidence fading, remembering Miroku telling her how different she was. How _special_ she was. Though she dreaded the thought of never hearing those, kind, rare words again, they gave her an inner peace.

'You're special to me, Sango.'

She let that wonderful, masculine, kind voice play relentlessly through her head. Letting that wonderful phrase be heard, over and over. She _was_ going to get through this. As long as it was for Miroku, as long as her death took the place of his, then all would be good. 'Just as long as he can live another day longer...' She kept walking, smiling despite herself. 'You're special to me too, Miroku.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The wind billowed as Masami approached her castle, shaking the trees around it. She stepped through the abyss of the forest, a gleam in her eye as she neared the building. It was large, a size fit for a princess. The walls took the appearance of stone, though upon closer inspection the walls could be found to be made of the bark of a tree. In fact, the entirety of the castle was made of various trees - sizes and all - that had been molded together by none other than the owner. The castle bore large, beautiful stained glass windows which held images of various flowers. One particular window, placed above a large entrance door, bore a striking resemblance to the red flower that Sango knew too well.

Masami lifted her arms, vines quickly snaking their way up her body and to her fingertips. She smirked as the vines raced across her flattened palms, creating a three-foot long pole. She brought her arms down, running her hand across the top of the pole, molding the vines to create a scythe. She quickly swiped her arm, which took a full second before bleeding.

'Come to me, Inuyasha. You cannot resist the scent of my blood. Bring me the houshi _and_ the miko!' She kept her laughter at bay as she fell into a sitting position. She crossed her legs, holding the scythe in one hand and keeping the other, bleeding arm out. All that was left to do was to wait.

'Though, I could have a bit of fun.' She laid the scythe on the ground, still keeping her bleeding arm out. Masami opened her eyes widely as reflections of the group she sought after appeared in them. She smirked, using her free hand to pick a vine from the ground, twisting it around her fingers. Her smirk grew larger as she watched a vine follow the miko.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Inuyasha's nose twitched as he quickly turned to face left. Miroku, Kagome, and Kirara stopped in their tracks, keeping alert. "Something's not right." He said, his tone unreadable.

"What do you mean?" Kagome fought the temptation to draw her bow at that moment, being incredibly tense.

"I smell blood. There's no doubt that it's the blood of Masami. But... something just isn't right about it."

"Well I don't care!" Miroku spoke up, surprising the hanyou. "Like we've said before, trap or not, we have to save Sango!" Miroku literally pushed Inuyasha out of his path, setting off the way that the boy had been facing.

The hanyou was about to stomp after him, but stopped at Kagome's touch. "Leave him, Inuyasha." She barely whispered, knowing that his ears would catch it. She looked on at the houshi with emotional eyes, a bittersweet smile gracing her lips. Kagome walked by Inuyasha's side, hugging the sleeping Shippou closer and catching up with her comrade. She only hoped that they wouldn't be too late.

Kagome's worries were cut loose when something grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the ground. She screamed, making Miroku and Inuyasha run to her aid. Another vine grabbed her wrist, making her drop the kitsune in her arms and lay flat on the ground, leaving no resistance for struggle.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, bending down to cut the vines with his claws. "What the hell happened?" He asked after freeing her,

"I... I dunno. The vines pulled me to the ground!!"

"Masami." Miroku muttered, looking around.

"She's not here!" Inuyasha insisted irritably. He looked down at the vine clutched in his hand. "But she is behind this." The vine twisted in his hand like a squirming eel. "What the hell?"

Kagome and Miroku bent over to see what was happening, and their eyes went wide at the sight. "It's growing!" Kagome yelled, jumping back while Shippou jumped into her arms.

Her suspicions were correct. In a matter of seconds, the vine doubled in size, a few more, it tripled. Soon enough, the vine had grown to a ten-foot length.

"It's alive!!" Shippou squealed, pointing with his mouth agape. "Kill it! Kill it!"

Inuyasha was having trouble controlling the monstrous vine, grabbing it ferociously in this place and that to keep it in his grasp. "Whaa! What's goin' on here?!" He yelled with bulging eyes.

"Give me that!" Miroku grabbed the vine, thoroughly annoyed. Without a word, he snapped it in half and the vine went limp, lifeless, once more. He showed Inuyasha the point that it was broken, a red substance oozing out of it. "I suspect that Masami controls them with this substance. But for now, we need to keep moving. This is no time for games, and Sango is in trouble."

The other three continued gazing at the vine as Miroku dropped it to the ground, turning in annoyance. Kagome was the first to shake herself of the dumbfounded state, pulling Inuyasha's ear to drag him along, Shippou still tucked into her arms. She shivered as she passed the vine with the ooze coming out of it, picturing the red liquid as blood. Kagome knew that it was going to be a rough night.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Masami frowned as she brought her hand down, her eyes returning to normal. That was too easily broken. She looked at her bleeding arm, knitting her brows. 'I've lost too much blood.' She told herself easily. She ran her hand across the wound, barely keeping it off of her skin. When she removed it, the wound was gone, and not a scare remained. The demon looked at the small puddle of blood, distorting her perfect face at the scent.

Masami stood, picked up her scythe, and lifted her arm in one graceful move. She tilted her head, and pulled her finger toward her, beckoning the door to her castle to open. She walked in as the doors shut behind her, her emerald eyes glowing in the dimly lit room. These people were too interesting to kill right off. 'I suppose I can show them my living quarters.' She smirked, forming the plan in her head. 'This is going to be _much_ fun.'

* * *

There you go! Chapter 11 up. This one came _so_ smoothly! It was just a matter of getting it down. -swatdrops- Please review, and the next chapter will be up soon. (And this time, I really _do_ mean it - it's half way done!!) Arigatou! 


	12. Tattered Battlefield

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine. -.-

* * *

Chapter 12:  
Tattered Battlefield

Sango's expression ranged from frustrated, relieved, and scared as she saw a building through the trees. She ran forward, readying her hiraikotsu in case of an ambush of some sort. When she reached the castle, her run had fallen to a cautious walk as she stared at the door, and the glass window above it. Annoyance took over her expression at how cocky this woman seemed.

"Sango!" A female voice called from behind. She sighed inwardly upon realizing who it was.

"Hello, Kagome. Inuyasha." She turned around, glaring at the houshi leading the group. "Miroku."

He grinned boyishly, stepping forward while rubbing the back of his head. "I figured you needed help. Come on, don't be mad." He said, stopping right in front of her.

"_What_ did I tell you, Miroku?! Didn't I say that I wanted to fight her alone!" She bellowed, forgetting her surroundings for a moment.

"And you can," He began, his tone serious. "but just in case you need backup, we're here for you." He smiled, gesturing toward Kagome and Inuyasha. Kagome nodded, pulling up her bow. Inuyasha merely smirked, crossing his arms.

"We'd better hurry. Masami is no doubt waiting for us."

Sango smiled, enjoying the protection her friends offered. "Right," She turned around, facing the door to the castle. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and threw the door open.

The group stepped into the room, their muffled footsteps sounding throughout the empty space. A large staircase stood before them, and another two on each side. Inuyasha growled in annoyance at the game that Masami was playing with them.

"Damn it! She's trying to split us up."

"Well we can't do anything but play along. It'll save time anyway. Come on, Miroku, we'll go left. Inuyasha, you and Kagome go right. Don't fight her unless we're there with you."

"Same goes for you. Don't get yourself killed." Without another word, he turned around and led his three-man group up the large staircase. Sango turned to Miroku, debating on whether to hit him or hug him.

"What is it?"

Sango sighed, rolling her eyes. "Nothing," She said, walking up the staircase with Kirara on her shoulder. She no longer heard Inuyasha and Kagome's footsteps, but hers were painfully loud.

"You're still mad at me, aren't you?" Miroku asked, finally drowning out the footsteps.

"What do you think? Of course I am!"

"Even if I did it to save your life?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because." She sighed, knowing he wouldn't accept that. "Because I don't want my friends to get hurt, you've seen what Masami can do, she's dangerous."

"Not as dangerous as Naraku."

"Well, he's a different story!"

"He's a different story because you didn't bring him upon us." Miroku said, causing Sango to stop in her tracks. She bent her head down, her bangs covering her eyes. "It's not your fault this happened, Sango." He offered, standing next to her.

"Yes it is." She mumbled, looking in the opposite direction of him and holding her marked arm. Miroku had forgotten all about that in the chaos.

"No, it could have happened to any one of us." He said, looking forward to something unforeseen to Sango. "It just happened to be you."

"If I were smart enough to not pick that flower, if I were strong enough to stop her from controlling me, if..." She turned to him with glassy eyes, putting her hand on his wounded shoulder. "If I were brave enough to let you go, then this wouldn't have happened."

He continued staring at her, watching her eyes grow weaker with each passing moment. He never really considered Sango fragile, and it hurt him all the more seeing her in this state. Miroku pulled her hand from his shoulder, squeezing it for comfort. "And you think I'm strong enough to let _you_ go?" He asked quietly, brokenly. He pulled her into his arms, resting his head on top of hers. "Sango, you obviously don't see how much I care for you... you don't see how much I _need_ you." Her eyes went wide, tears finally falling. "I'm not giving you up so easily." He pulled her back, looking into her eyes once more. "Do you understand?"

Sango nodded her head slowly in response, squeezing her hand into a fist, a few drops of his blood dripping to the ground. "But what happens if I die?" She turned her head, and then snapped it back up to look at him. More frantically, she asked, "What if _you_ die?!"

"Don't say such things." He wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You didn't answer my question!" She yelled, standing on her tiptoes.

Miroku put his hands on her shoulders, standing her on her flat feet. "No ones going to die. I have a plan." He smirked at her obvious disbelief. He quickly lowered his head to he ear, making her secretly wish that he were going to kiss her. Leaving the stupid, worthless thought, she listened intently to his plan.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kagome sighed for what had to be the fiftieth time, making Inuyasha stop and turn around to stare at her. "What?" He asked, annoyed.

"Well, I'm worried about Miroku and Sango." She muttered, looking down at Shippou and absently rubbing his head.

"And why's that?"

"Because I think she's too determined. You know, to kill Masami. She's just like you, Inuyasha. When she decides to do something, she does it. Alone."

"You've got a point there." Inuyasha agreed, staring into space.

"Then what're we going to do?" She asked, stepping forward.

"Look, Miroku's with her. She'll be fine as long as he's there. You've got to worry about yourself."

"You do that _for_ me." She answered quickly.

"What's that mean?"

Kagome sighed, continuing her walk through the large hallway. "Nothing."

"Keh."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Masami walked across a large room, filled with anything you'd find in the forest. She stopped in front of a tree trunk, protruding through the floor and ceiling. She placed her hand on it, smiling at what was learned. "If what I feel is correct, the humans have separated." This tree was the first one used to make her castle, so upon placing her hand on it, and concentrating, she could tell who and what was inside at any given time. The only complication was that with each use, the house weakened, and could be destroyed more easily. Another was that there was no way to precisely tell where they were, only that they were inside the house, and how many there were.

Masami picked up her scythe, walking swiftly out the door. She walked through various hallways with ease, even in the dimness of the house. Upon arriving at a large door, she smirked, swinging it open with her control of the house. The door slammed shut behind her, throwing dust up with the force.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Inuyasha suddenly stopped, Kagome running right into him. He ignored it, sniffing the air. "She's in there." Inuyasha quietly stated, turning to the miko. There's a lot of blood too."

"Sango and Miroku... we need to go get them!"

"But she's right here! We can get it done and over with!"

"Inuyasha," Her scolding was stopped by the large doors swinging open with such force, she nearly lost her balance. Inuyasha instinctively brought his hand to his sword, pulling it from his sheath.

The room was pitch black, but somehow had a very large feel to it. Footsteps were heard echoing through the room, and Inuyasha took place in front of Kagome as protection as she readied her bow.

Masami's voice was heard, though she had not shown herself as of yet. "Well, well, I was after a houshi, and gained a miko. I must thank you for delivering her to me, Inuyasha-san, I hate having to hunt down these humans."

Inuyasha growled, stepping forward. "Shut up and show yourself!"

"Ooh, so demanding." Masami taunted. She dove from what seemed to be the ceiling, landing swiftly outside of the entrance to the room, mere inches from Inuyasha. She lifted his chin with her index finger, a smirk on her face. Pinching his nose, her smile grew.

Growling, Inuyasha took a swing of his tetsaiga, merely getting her arm due to her speed.

"Hmph!" Masami took a look at her bleeding arm, frowning in disgust. "How dare you!"

"Come back over here and I'll give 'ya some more!" Inuyasha shouted, running into the pitch black room.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome yelled a moment too late. She looked around wryly, holding Shippou closer. "Where are you?" She commanded, letting the kitsune drop from her arms and preparing her bow.

A chuckle came from the dark room, followed by Inuyasha's scream.

"Inuyasha!!" Kagome called, too afraid to go in. She looked around her, pulling a torch from the wall. "Shippou, please, go get Sango and Miroku! I'm going to try to help Inuyasha."

"Got'cha!" He said, running down the hallway.

"Hurry!" She called, turning back to the room. "Inuyasha?" She asked, stepping in with caution. She looked around, holding the torch for dear life. If it went out, it would be all over. She spotted something red across the room, and broke into a run. "Inuyasha!" She yelled, falling to her knees beside him. "Are you alright?"

"Ka... Kagome,"

"I'm right here. What happened?" She asked, carefully setting the torch down.

"It's just my back." He said, facing her. "Why the hell did you come in here?!"

"I was worried about you!" She yelled back, looking thoughtfully at him once more. "I sent Shippou for Sango and Miroku."

"That's good. But we're 'gonna have to fend for ourselves." He looked around, spotting a few windows. The sun was beginning to rise, and the room was already lightning up. The hanyou stood, clutching his sword and scanning for the demon. His eyesight was better than hers, so he had an advantage. "Show yourself you coward!" He yelled, being sure to protect Kagome as best he could.

A cackle was heard from overhead, and before Inuyasha could look up, Masami came crashing from the ceiling, pinning him to the ground with vines.

"Not these damn vines again!" He yelled, trying to break free with no success.

"Don't be so cocky," She said, standing. "These are stronger." Masami turned to face Kagome, smirking. She bent down, and threw the miko over her shoulder, showing non-apparent strength. Masami walked swiftly across the room, ignoring Inuyasha's yelling, and threw Kagome onto a bunch of vines, which instantly wrapped around her. "These vines have thorns, so move too much and die quickly." She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Of course, it doesn't matter anyway."

Kagome's eyes were wide, the sun finally rising to illuminate the room. As the view of the room came to her, her eyes widened even more upon the sight of it. The floors, tree bark, the walls, tree bark, the ceiling, tree bark. The room was mainly empty, save for the vines and branches that belonged to every other room in this house. But, what threw Kagome's fear into high-gear, was the blood. Puddles of blood where everywhere, dried up blood as well. The walls held the streaks of it, from people trying to grasp to the walls. "This is..." Kagome couldn't finish, feeling her stomach rise.

"This is my execution room." Masami said darkly, sitting contently on the floor. Even though she hated seeing her own blood, Masami had an unhealthy liking to the blood of others. And these people would be just _wonderful_.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Shippou ran frantically through the endless halls, following his nose as best he could. His nose was nearly as powerful as Inuyasha's, but it was certainly helping in the tracking of the missing pair. At least he knew which direction to go. "Miroku! Sango!" He yelled, his green eyes straight forward. As his search continued, he slowed and slowed, and then, finally saw the two rounding the corner. "Thank goodness I found you!" He yelled, jumping into Miroku's arms. "Inuyasha and Kagome are in trouble!! We have to hurry!"

"What? They are fighting the demon?" Sango asked, angry that Inuyasha hadn't done as he said.

"She tricked Inuyasha into going into some dark room, and attacked him. Kagome went in after him and sent me. Now come on! We have to hurry!"

"Are we still following your plan?" She asked, turning to Miroku.

With a nod, Miroku and Sango went off running.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Masami paced the room between Kagome and Inuyasha, frowning all the while. Inuyasha glared at her, making her stop in amusement. "What?" She asked, staring down at him.

"Why didn't I smell the blood before? Why don't I smell it now either?" He asked irritably, sniffing the air with no scents entering his nose. He couldn't even smell Kagome, who had tried once more to break free of the vines. She gasped at the thorns that dug into her skin, drawing blood once more.

"Kagome, stop trying to free yourself!" Inuyasha yelled across the room, distracted by her pain. He gained a laugh from the demon.

"You pathetic hanyou," She commented, standing at his side. "Your wench is going to die anyway."

Inuyasha growled at the woman, attempting to jump up at her, but the vines still held him to the ground.

Masami laughed again, raising a finger. "You know," The vines tightened around him, causing Inuyasha to scream in pain. "I can kill you easily, so I suggest you not do that." She loosened the vines on him.

"Then why don't you?" Kagome yelled, though her voice seemed to be failing her.

"Because what's the fun in that?" Masami replied, still staring down at the hanyou. "Don't worry, I'll let the two of you go," She smirked, her eyes holding a strange glint in them.

Inuyasha growled again, looking away from the woman in disgust. Masami continued talking.

"As for your question, you don't smell them because of what I did. Do you remember when I pinched your nose?" She asked with a thrill in her voice. "Well, the scent from this plant here," She pulled out a yellow flower with long, thin leaves, white lines traveling down them. "blocks your nose." She frowned, tilting her head, her eyes set on the flower "Basically. I don't expect someone such as yourself to understand the technicalities." She chuckled, looking out of the window.

"It seems you've prepared yourself." Inuyasha retorted, trying to grab hold of his tetsaiga.

"Yes, it seems so." Masami smiled, her gaze still fixed outside.

"So, why aren't you fighting us now?" Inuyasha asked as a distraction.

"Because, I believe that it will be more fun fighting four instead of two."

"You're sure full of yourself."

"Hah. If worse comes to worse, then I'll have our dear Sango-chan help me."

"And who says she will?" He asked, his cocky tone returning now that he held his sword.

Masami turned, though she didn't face him. She picked up a vine, and quickly snapped it in half, the blood-colored ooze seeping out. "My poison,"

* * *

There you go! See? I told you I would get this chapter out soon! But, don't expect the next one so soon. I'll try though, I'll try. Please review! 


	13. As the Walls Crumble

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

As you can tell, my story is coming to an end. -sniffle- Only a few chapters remain, and I intend to get them up within the next few weeks because it's just too tempting! (School starts Monday, so if you're reading "Cold" updates may come quicker or even slower, it depends on how I deal with school.) So, be expecting quicker updates for this until the end!

* * *

Chapter 13:  
As the Walls Crumble...

Sango and Miroku ran on Shippou's heels, both of them anxious to kill the wretched demon in the castle. Miroku's thoughts wandered and mixed. He saw images of Sango, struggling to regain control, and images of Masami, smirking whilst controlling her. He simply couldn't wait until she was gone, and knew that Sango couldn't either. A look of determination on her face, she stopped behind Shippou, staring at a large door, covered with vines.

"This is the one," She stated, gripping her weapon.

"Yes." Shippou said, standing behind her and shivering with fear.

"Shippou, this is what I want you to do:" He turned to the kitsune, seeing him stand straight. "You need to get Kagome out of there, and get out of this castle. Don't worry about us, just run as quickly as you can and wait for Sango, Inuyasha and I to return."

"Got it!" He said, standing on his tiptoes and putting on a brave face. Sango and Miroku exchanged glances of support, and knocked down the door. They both stood with wide eyes at the sight of the room, the blood everywhere as if a massive murder had taken place. The smell of the copper like blood filled the air, and you could no longer smell the flowers and trees of this castle. Sango stepped forward, standing tall and proud as she scanned the room, the houshi's eyes roaming it as well. They spotted Inuyasha, clutching his sword and trying to break free of vines holding him to the ground. Upon further investigation, Kagome was found; looking bloody and tattered and she lay motionlessly in a bed of thorny vines.

Shippou immediately ran to the girl, yelling her name as a child would a sick mother. "It's alright Kagome!" He announced, biting on the vines to free her, despite the thorns that cut his lips and tongue. "We're here to save you!" In the meantime, Sango walked around the room, looking for Masami, because they both knew that she was in there.

"Miroku, Sango!" Inuyasha yelled as Miroku ran over to him. He cut the vines free with his shakujou, keeping watch around as he did so.

"Where is she, Inuyasha?" He asked as the hanyou was free, rubbing his wrists. He picked up his sword and sheathed it.

"I don't know," He said within a growl, looking around as well. "She walked out of my sight right before you guys came in, and my nose isn't much of use." He quickly turned his gaze to Kagome, running straight to her as she was freed as well. "Kagome," he said, standing before her. "are you okay?" He asked, eyeing the cuts all over her arms and legs.

She nodded, smiling slightly. "They're shallow, I'm fine. You?"

"Good," He looked down at Shippou, being cut off by the child.

"I'm getting her out of here while you guys fight." He said, grabbing Kagome's hand and leading her to a window. It was large, and Kagome could easily get through it. Jumping up and smashing the window, he jumped out and transformed into his balloon like form. "Jump on!" He yelled to her as she walked over to the window, lifting a leg to stand on it.

"Be careful, you guys." With that, the miko jumped out, landing on top of Shippou and getting carried away.

Sango walked over to Miroku, a look of anger on her face. "I can't find her anywhere." She declared, Kirara sitting by her feet. "Do you think she left the castle?"

"No," He said, looking up at the ceiling, his gaze catching a tree trunk that went through it. Two emerald orbs stared down, a smirk showing in them. "she's there." Miroku pointed, Sango already running toward it. He quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her back toward him. "That tree is the source of her power," He calmly stated, releasing her hand. She threw him a look of annoyance as she ran off again. She threw her hiraikotsu, cutting straight through the tree where Masami was, having leaped out of the way just in time.

Masami landed gracefully behind the tajiya, Smirking as she held her scythe in mid-air. "Oh, Sango-chan," She said, her tone containing fake sadness. She quickly sliced into Sango's side, her blood seeping out of the wound. "You cannot defeat me."

Holding the wound with one hand and striking Masami with the other, she sent the woman flying across the room, landing with a thud and skidding a few feet back. "What were you saying?" Sango smirked, holding her hiraikotsu as she walked over to the demon, ignoring the wound as best she could.

Struggling to a stand, Masami whipped a bit of blood from her mouth. "You wretch!" She called, her eyes showing obvious fury. She lifted her scythe once more, swinging at Sango and missing as the tajiya nimbly jumped out of the way. Upon landing, Sango threw her giant weapon against the demons head, crouching down with a victorious smirk.

Trembling while lying face-first on the ground, Masami gabbed her scythe again. She slowly lifted herself to half stand, holding her head with one eye open. The woman growled, her gaze shifting to the hanyou and houshi standing on the sidelines. "Fine! If you want to fight so badly, fight your friends!" Her eyes glowed bright green as Sango's arm followed with it's shade of blue. She gasped, walking over to Miroku with wide eyes.

Sango broke into a run, heading straight for the two men. They jumped out of the way just in time, Sango's hiraikotsu smashing into the ground. She turned, gritting her teeth and facing Miroku. She ran after him once more, however, he didn't bother to move. As the giant weapon came straight for him, she froze, letting it drop next to him. Miroku quickly grabbed the weapon, jumping away from the owner of it.

The poison taking over once more, Sango pulled out her katana and ran after him once more. She swung as he used the hiraikotsu as a shield, turning slightly and giving her an opening for his arm. With nothing protecting it, Sango swung at his arm, freezing when the cut began to bleed. She held her head, the red returning to the marks on her arm. Miroku flinched slightly in pain, but kept his eyes on the possessed woman. "Miroku..." She whispered, dropping the sword.

"Here," He said, returning the weapon, watching Masami out of the corner of his eye. The woman was sitting on the ground, staring incredulously at the pair as Sango returned to normal. "It's time." He said, handing the tajiya his shakujou. She smirked, pulling something out of her shoulder pad. Dipping the end of the staff in the pinkish substance, she turned her head, looking directly at the tree that her hiraikotsu went through. Aiming, she threw the shakujou at it, the staff piercing through the bark and making it's way a good three inches into the trunk near the floor.

Sango's smile grew as the bark turned red. The color spread down to the floor, ending about six inches away from the trunk. "You filled him in?" Sango asked, watching Inuyasha run toward the tree as Masami ran toward them.

"Yes," Miroku replied, staring at the approaching demon. "you can handle her here, I suppose.

"Of course, you just follow through with your part." The two exchanged looks, turning their opposite ways. Before he ran to his shakujou, Miroku whispered something.

"Come back." Sango smiled at his words, preparing herself as he and Kirara ran away and Masami came forward.

"You die today!" The demon yelled, swinging her scythe at the girl.

"I don't think so!" Sango jumped, landing her hand on the demons head as she flipped over her, landing as to trip the woman. Before giving her enough time to get up, Sango threw her hiraikotsu onto Masami's stomach, the woman's eyes widening as she released a jagged gasp at the pressure.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Miroku and Inuyasha ran down the seemingly endless hall, both smirking when they found two flights of stairs, one going up, the other going down. Miroku took the ground level, Inuyasha taking the top, both taking three steps at a time. Miroku rounded a corner, his shakujou in hand. As he counted the doors that he ran past, he smirked at the eighth one, the one that led to the room right below the battle that was going on. Turning to face it directly, he threw the doors open. Turning his gaze to the largest tree in the room, he spotted the reddish bark near the ceiling where Sango had thrown his shakujou, and where the poison had taken affect.

Miroku ran to the spot, throwing the shakujou into the base of the tree, red poison growing six inches away from it, just as it had done before. He pulled the staff out, quickly slicing a good six inches into the tree trunk with it a few times before completely cut through. He jumped back, running out of the door. He passed the other seven doors, turning a corner and stopping at the same door that he, Sango, and the others entered that same night. Looking back one more time, he walked out of the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Inuyasha smirked with satisfaction as he watched the poisonous red substance color the floor, six inches away from the tree trunk at the floor. He looked at the small clam in his hand, opening it to look at the substance again. 'This stuff works wonders, but I wonder why a demon slayer would need something that kills plants, instead of demons.' Leaving the question for another time, he pulled out his sword, the tetsaiga transforming automatically. He backed up, his eyes focused on the center of the tree. Using his windscar, he all but destroyed the tree. As the ceiling cracked with a threatening sound, he ran over to the window, jumping out into the forest.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sango stood beside the large tree trunk as she heard a cracking noise above and below her. Masami walked over to her, glaring at her as she held her broken arm. "You wretch! What have you done to my castle?!"

Sango smirked, backing right into the tree. "I did nothing, but Miroku and Inuyasha did something." She pointed to the red bark right below her, keeping her eyes on the demon. "Like I said, _you're_ the one who's going to die."

Masami stared in disbelief, her mouth agape. She glared at the tajiya again, gritting her teeth. "I'm taking you with me!" She yelled, lifting her good arm to summon the vines from the floor.

Vines from all over the room all sprang to life, heading toward a surprised Sango. A group of them grabbed her left leg, another group heading for her arm. Sango pulled out her katana, slicing them this way and that with little progress. More and more vines came after her as they grabbed her arms, forcing her to the floor. She landed with a dull thud on her arm, her bones cracking under the pressure and added pressure from the vines. They covered her body, so that only her head and neck showed. Her eyes wide and searching, the vines covered the left part of her face. She saw Masami's smirking, psychotic face before the rest of her face was covered with the vines.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Miroku and Inuyasha both met at the edge of the forest, Kagome and Shippou already waiting there. "Inuyasha!" Kagome ran up to the hanyou, resisting the urge to hug him "Are you okay?" She asked, balling her hands in front of her chest.

"I'm fine." He said, staring at the room where Masami and Sango were fighting.

"Sango's still in there?" She asked, staring up at the same window.

"Yeah, she's still fighting." Inuyasha growled, his nose still useless. Kagome sighed, sitting in the grass next to Shippou.

"I hope she comes out okay..." Shippou said, moving to sit in Kagome's lap.

"She'll be fine," Kagome whispered, stroking his head.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Masami sat contently in the room, her mind focused on the people outside of her castle. 'I'm not letting my beloved castle fall without me.' She told herself, frowning. 'I won't abandon it. I'll die right here along with it, for if I don't I'm not any better than that pathetic houshi.' She looked over at the jumble of vines that the tajiya was encased in, smiling. "He left you to die alone, so I'll make him suffer! I may die today," She said, eyes closed making appear in a meditative state. "but they're going to die with me." Finally, she found enough of her strength to focus on the group. Using all of the strength she could, the demon summoned the trees alive. Vines and such were easy, but something such as a tree was very hard for her, taking nearly all of her strength. Masami was already weak, so this was surely going to be the death of her. -x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kagome screamed as something from behind her grabbed her by the neck, throwing her ten feet away. Inuyasha quickly ran to the miko, unsheathing his sword and standing in front of her as protection. He growled, watching the trees around them come to life, their branches reaching out for him and his friends.

Miroku stared on at the trees, a worry not for him reaching the core of his being. 'If she can focus enough to control the trees,' he thought, backing up into the castle once more. 'then, Sango must be...!' He turned straight around and ran up the flight of stairs and through the halls, his shakujou being drowned out by the cracking of the trees. He counted the doors as he went through the hallway. Barely stopping close enough to the door, he ran straight into the room, finding Masami sitting on the ground, Sango nowhere to he found.

"Sango!" He yelled, desperate to find the woman. His call broke the demon from her trance, glaring up at him.

"What are _you_ doing back here?" She hissed, though her current state left her barely a threat.

"Where is she?!" He demanded, running up to the woman.

She smirked, unable to stand. "I can't believe that you returned for her; you're going to die."

"Just tell me where she is!" He ordered frantically, searching the room once more.

Masami stared at him in disbelief, her eyes wide. She watched Miroku cross the room to the vines that held Sango there. Lifting her hand, Masami ordered a group of them to attack him

"Damn it!" He yelled, cutting the vines with his shakujou. The walls made a sickening noise as they began to fall, the floor cracking as well. "Sango!" Miroku yelled, pulling the vines apart. He gasped as he found her head, her eyes closed. 'Oh no... she can't die!' He pulled the vines off the woman ferociously as the walls became weaker and weaker, gritting his teeth with frustration. "I don't have much time!" He said to no one in particular, breaking the last of the vines holding her feet.

Checking her breathing, which was too shallow for his liking, he pulled her into his arms, holding her bridal style as he struggled to stand. He fell back on one knee, his whole arm stung with pain from Sango's earlier attacks. "Damn..." He whispered, standing again. This time, he kept his ground, searching for the door. His eyes went wide as he realized that the fallen trees blocked it. 'What do I do?' He asked himself, searching the room. His eyes fell on the demon, who continued to look at him with disbelief.

"Why did you come back?" She said, her voice barely heard through the falling trees. She ignored them, knowing that she would die anyway, "You could have left... and yet, you came for her...?" Her gaze shifted to the unconscious woman in his arms, her eyes suddenly sad.

"What are you talking about?" Miroku asked, running to the window and calling for Kirara.

"Why did you come back?" She repeated, trying to stand with no success. She flinched, her whole body in immense pain. It was so horrible, she couldn't stand it. And had she not been so weak, she could heal it, but alas, she had absolutely no strength left. She was surprised that she was still conscious. She turned her head to see the houshi placing Sango on a giant cat demon, about to jump out with her. "Why?" She asked, louder, gaining his attention again.

"Why?" He turned to her, his eyes determined. "It's because, I love her."

Masami's face held pure shock at his words. "Love...?" She asked him, leaning forward. "You mean to say that you have actually fallen in love with this woman?" Her eyes fell to another part of the room. "I... I don't understand..." She said, mainly to herself.

"What is there to understand?" He asked, strangely smiling. "I love her... and I don't have to understand it to know it. All I know, is that I'd do anything for Sango. I would rather die than to see her hurt..." His voice changed, getting angrier. "and it just so happens that you hurt her."

"So... you say you'd die for her?" She turned back to him, trying her best to focus her blurry vision. 'So this is what dying is like...' Suddenly, the ceiling began to collapse, Masami was holding her arms above her head, as if she could protect herself. As the ceiling fell on them, a bright green light was released from the demon, and Miroku fell unconscious.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sango opened her eyes, a horrible headache taking over her mind. She pulled her hand to her head, and flinched at the pain in her arm. As the pain in both her head and arm dulled, she looked around, taking in the fact that it was night, and Miroku was missing. She shot up, ignoring her body's protest. "Where's Miroku!?" She asked, staring straight at Kagome. The girl smiled, ignoring her question.

"I see you're awake." She gently said, moving to sit next to her.

"Where is Miroku?" She asked again, both her eyes and tone serious.

"Well, he went in to get you... and..." She turned her head away.

"No... don't say that!" Sango yelled, standing up to look at the collapsed castle. She gritted her teeth in pain, her body about to topple over. She kept her feet planted, though, holding her broken arm that had already been treated.

"We're not sure yet, Sango! So just calm down and wait for Inuyasha to return."

"No!" She screamed, running toward the rubbish. Kagome chased after her. "How long was I asleep? How long has it been?!" She looked down at her arm, the marks gone. Tears escaped her eyes as she realized what Miroku did.

"It's only been a few hours..." Kagome said, placing a hand on her friends shoulder. Sango jerked herself away, falling to the ground.

"He's alive... he's alive..." She told herself the words over and over, yet the belief still didn't come.

* * *

Goodness, I'm evil. Leaving you with THAT!? I don't think that even Naraku would do such a thing. (Oh goodness, a romance story by Naraku!) No worries, an update will come soon. Review in the meantime though! -grins- Please? 


	14. The Tree and the Body

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

Another update! Yes, yes, I know I'm evil. And yes, I know that the mere thought of Naraku writing _anything_ romance related causes a possible drastic hatred toward me, but I like to make people suffer. ;D I mainly watch the anime, due to lack of money (tear, tear) but I do read some of the manga. Enough to know that it's much better than the anime, that is. Enough of my ranting now, back to Sango's pain and suffering.

* * *

Chapter 14:  
The Tree and the Body

Sango allowed her head to drop into her hands, her shoulders trembling with sobs. She remembered Miroku's final words to her. _Come back_. "Damn it!" She yelled, though incoherent through the cracked sobs. Kagome found this the right time to comfort the girl.

"Sango, you have to stop this." Her voice was unconvincing, but she tried her hardest. She pulled Sango into a one-sided hug, allowing the tajiya to shake in her arms as she tried to soothe her. "I know you're upset, _I know_, but don't overreact. We-"

"Kagome!" She pulled out of the miko's arms, staring angrily into her eyes. Kagome jumped in surprised. "You don't understand!! He told _me_ to come back! _Me_!! If he was so worried, then he should have stayed with you!"

"You're being irrational. You know that Miroku wouldn't allow that." An image of their encounter at Mount Hakurei flashed in Sango's mind. "And I've been trying to tell you, he may be alive. While you were still unconscious, Miroku was with her. There was a flash of green light, and while the castle was collapsing, something happened. Something spiritual happened, but I don't know what."

Sango knitted her brows, wiping her eyes with her wrist. That wasn't really all that comforting, but she lost control of herself. Now she kept those tears tucked away for later. "Where is Inuyasha?" She asked, her voice firm.

Kagome took a moment to reply. "Still searching," She pointed to a large area of trees, and Sango had just noticed that she and Kagome were in a clearing decently far from another part of the castle. It seemed that it was bigger than she once thought.

Sango peered through the trees, but still couldn't see anything through the darkness, so resorted to half walking, half limping in order to find the hanyou. She heard Kagome get up and stiffened. "Don't follow me." She ordered, though her tone was harsher than intended. She softened her voice, not liking how she was acting toward her closest friend. "Please."

Kagome smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Be safe, Sango. She may still..." She glanced down at the tajiya's now unmarked arm, the fake smile dropping. "be out there." Sango walked through the trees without a word.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Inuyasha sniffed the air, his nose still somehow blocked. "Damn it!!" He muttered, crossing his eyes to glare at the useless nose. "That stupid woman..." His eyes shot up, for some reason unknown to him. There was no noise, nothing but rubble to be seen, and no smell... that he knew of, anyway. He walked a few feet, somehow realizing that the very place he was standing in once stood that main tree that he, Sango, and Miroku had destroyed. He pulled the trees and such off of the ground, still not knowing why he was doing so. He jumped back with wide eyes, staring at the place where the tree had once been.

Flowers covered every inch of that piece of ground, which was about three feet in diameter. They were red, though not the same as the first plant. The red was still a dark, bloody, abnormal red. Instead of blue markings, there were purple ones, which were spread across the top, bottom, and stem. The purple marks were almost glowing, and at a closer look, tiny sky blue specks were inside them. The flowers were hardly a foot tall, only a fraction of the height of all the rubbish surrounding them. Inuyasha cautiously stepped forward, moving away even more debris. Sure enough, even more flowers were under that.

The scent of blood broke through the air, making the hanyou squeeze his eyes shut and grab his nose to block the scent. He opened his eyes again, sniffing the air once more. The blood was still there. He smirked, ignoring the flowers and following his nose to the largest source of Miroku's blood. As he got closer, he listened more intently for the houshi's heartbeat. He thought he heard one, but couldn't be sure and sped up. 'You'd better not die, Miroku!' He yelled within himself, his feet barely touching the ground in the short run. He stopped abruptly, staring at the ground beneath him. Jumping back, Inuyasha dug into the debris, but there was even more there than anywhere else.

He jolted up as he heard unsteady footsteps, and saw a form rushing problematically toward him. He didn't relax when he realized that it was Sango, and rushed to her side. "Sango," He caught her as she was about to fall, and helped her stand straight. "what're you doing here?" He didn't notice the wood moving behind him, moving away.

"Miroku..." She panted, her eyes trying to drift closed. "where? Where is he?"

"I don't know," He admitted, helping her walk to the spot where he thought the houshi was. "but he may be here." He gestured toward the ground with his head. At the motion, Sango dropped to the ground and began digging through the wood with her good hand, getting splinters all over it. Inuyasha sharply grabbed her hand, holding it above her head as she tried to break free. "You don't have any strength, stop trying to fool yourself. I'll let go, and I'll get him out, and I'll take you back, but _you_ have to just sit still." More wood from around them began to move, forming in a spot out in the distance.

"It's my-!"

"Shut up!" He yelled, throwing her hand down. "It's not your damn fault! It's _his_ own fault." He caught her eyes and softened his tone at her hurt expression. "He'll be alright. It's faint, but I think I hear his heart beating." She didn't seem any calmer, but listened to him anyway, holding her knees with her good arm as she stared at the ground as Inuyasha continued digging.

'I'm being so immature...' Sango scolded herself, gripping her knees tighter. 'But can I help it? Miroku... he possibly died because of me.' She sighed, lowering her head still. 'It's Kohaku all over. It's _all because of me_.' She snapped out of her thoughts before they could get any further. _Not now_. She couldn't get upset now, when Miroku may need her. She shifted her gaze toward Inuyasha, who was still digging through the rubbish with his claws. He was almost all the way through, and she saw something glowing underneath the wood. Sango leaned forward, her eyes wide as she waited to see whatever it was.

The tajiya gasped at the sight of flowers, slightly similar to the one that marked her, but with purple markings that were all over the flower. Sango looked at her hand, the markings still gone. Her eyes moved back to the flowers, and on a second note, she realized that only the markings glowed. She sat back slightly, touching Inuyasha's arm for some explanation, but his voice was unsure. "These... these flowers were over there too." He pointed behind him with his thumb, and Sango saw a faint purple glow behind the two. Inuyasha reached down to touch the flower, his eyes moving to Sango. "These are okay to touch... for me, anyway."

"I see," She said, though she didn't. She reached her hand down as well, and sure enough, there was no burn or sting. "Does this mean that she's dead?" She asked, mainly to herself.

"I don't know... maybe." He shook his head and continued digging, instead throwing the pieces of wood into the forest. "I need to get him out first," He looked up at her, smiling warmly, unlike himself. "he's alive, Sango."

She smiled, hiding her cheer. Her strength seemed to be restored with the thought, and she had to scold herself in order to stay seated. "Should I get Kagome?" She finally asked, realizing the immense amounts of debris around them.

"No, she won't be of much help."

"Oh." She replied, trying to help him herself despite the broken arm. She couldn't throw the wood nearly as far as him, but ignored the fact, knowing that she wouldn't be able to do that normally.

After what felt like hours of digging, Sango felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of something purple... his robe, possibly. "Inuyasha, here!" She exclaimed, falling back and allowing him room to dig. He pulled the wood from the spot and slowed when it was only a torn piece of the houshi's robe, but kept near that spot. He didn't notice Sango's head drop and her fist clench as he kept digging.

Neither of them noticed it, as Inuyasha threw the wood far off, but that wood began to move as well, adding onto a large pile that sat many feet away from them. Neither of them noticed the faint green glow beneath it either.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kagome bit her lip worriedly, glancing off in the direction that Sango went. Despite her optimism, she couldn't help but have that bit of doubt in her mind. She couldn't help but think of what would happen to Sango if another person died; especially Miroku. She turned her head back away, her eyes falling on a resting Shippou, which only reminded her of how tired she was. Her eyes drifted closed before they shot open again, shaking her head quickly to rid her of the exhaustion... for five seconds. It was so quiet and peaceful here though, and everything seemed to have a mystical glow to it that made her even more tired. Her vision began to blur, and before she could catch herself again, she was asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Inuyasha cursed himself for about the fifth time as he reached the flowered ground yet again, and there was still no sign of Miroku. And, though he wouldn't dare tell Sango, his heart beat was slowing. The smell of those flowers was getting stronger and stronger each time he reached them, and it was beginning to make his nose itch. He glanced over at Sango, who was still staring at the ground. He knew how she felt, being useless to the search of Miroku, and thinking that she caused all of this, just sitting there with everything bottled up. He knew all of those things, from memories of his mother, how she died and no one could protect her. How he and Kikyou betrayed each other, and how he never had the strength to protect her from her death. How he constantly put Kagome and the others in danger, and they saved him themselves sometimes. He knew that useless, weak feeling all too well.

She glanced up and stared at him for a moment, before swiftly turning her head and looking around the large area where the castle had once been. Inuyasha went back to his digging, which was starting to get boring at this point. He wished that _something_, _anything_ would happen.

It did.

Sango gasped, almost falling back. A tree was beginning to grow fifty feet ahead of her, starting out as a small plant, quickly growing leaves and before ten seconds it had to be at least thirty feet tall. She instinctively reached for her katana, but ended up grabbing air. 'Damn it, I'm defenseless.' She told herself, looking to Inuyasha. He stood up and blocked her vision of the tree, drawing his sword. He didn't smell the demon, or anything worth getting defensive over, but he wasn't about to take his chances.

Inuyasha watched as the leaves shook, his eyes drawing in every detail of the tree. He paused at the trunk, a face beginning to form in the bark. More wood moved toward it and began forming more details of the image. He ran forward, prepared for a battle. Stopping abruptly at the base of the tree, he stared straight into the eyes of the face on it. It was Masami's face, a calm, almost meditative expression held with closed eyes and a soft line on her mouth. Her hair was completely straight, fading into the normally shaped bark, and her body began to form as well. She was standing straightly and proudly, her hands held right at her sides. The image of her didn't appear to be standing on any surface, her feet dangling underneath her.

The wood underneath Inuyasha's feet began to move, adding to the tree before him. It took a full minute for the ground around the tree to be completely empty, save for the flowers that were everywhere else as well. His eyes roamed the area, briefly landing on Sango, who was now walking toward him. He now looked behind her, seeing a human-like bulge in the wood now that there wasn't as much lying around. He ran to it, forgetting the tree and forgetting Sango. As he ran passed her, she said something incoherent, but he didn't bother to listen. He reached the area, throwing wood this way and that, before he uncovered the rapidly moving chest of Miroku.

Inuyasha smirked at his accomplishment, continuing to remove the wood from his face and legs. His eyes were closed, his robes cut and tattered and completely ripped on his left shoulder. "Miroku," The hanyou looked back at Sango, knowing that he was loud enough to hear.

She was facing the tree, her hand held to her chest. At the name of the houshi, she was running toward him, and Inuyasha could see the happy tears in her eyes. He stood up, catching her as she barely stopped in time and almost ran over the him. She smiled at him, squeezing Inuyasha's arm as she looked happily into his eyes. He allowed her to fall to the ground, resting her head gently on his chest. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She muttered, catching him off guard.

"What? Why the hell are you thinking me?"

She looked up at him, her face bearing no emotion now. "You found him. And," She stood up, holding her hand toward Miroku. "you're carrying him back."

"What?!"

"Well, I can't." She pointed to her broken arm.

"Feh," He muttered, picking up the houshi and carrying him on his back. "You guys are always getting hurt, why can't you help yourselves?"

Sango merely smiled, staring at Miroku's clam face. 'He's alive,' She told herself, tilting her head. 'I'm so glad... I thought that he'd surely die, especially if a whole castle fell on him.' She also thought of what Kagome said.

_There was a flash of green light, and while the castle was collapsing, something happened. Something spiritual happened, but I don't know what."_

She mused over that, wondering if by some strange chance that this horrible demon saved him. Sango highly doubted such a thing, not only because she said she hated men, but also because she just couldn't picture her saving _anyone_. She wasn't even prepared to save herself; she was going to die with the castle. Why would she save Miroku? It just wasn't possible.

That brought her to another thought, what had happened to her? Sango saw the tree that had been growing, the tree that held the demon who once controlled the wood of which it was made. She had never heard of such a thing, a demon controlling the forest. She had never heard of a tree growing, and bearing the image of that demon that could control it. Then again, she'd never heard of a flower used to control people.

They had now reached the clearing, and Sango spotted Kagome and Shippou sleeping peacefully. She'd have to wake Kagome up in order to dress Miroku's wounds. The wound in her stomach had seemed to have reopened as well, probably due to the running.

Inuyasha laid Miroku down, walking straight to Kagome and gently shaking her out of her sleep. "Kagome," He whispered, not wanting to wake Shippou and hear his thousands of questions. Her eyes fluttered opened and she stared sleepily at him. "Sorry for waking you. Sango and I have found Miroku, and you need to dress his wounds." He glanced over at Sango's stomach and turned back to the miko. "She reopened hers too."

Kagome took a moment to respond, and finally the haze cleared from her vision and she sprung to action without another word, getting the gauze and such out of her backpack. She sat in front of Sango as Inuyasha stalked off for some well deserved sleep, but Sango only shook her head.

"Don't worry about me right now; Miroku's the one who needs it." She gestured toward the injured houshi with sad eyes. "Please, take care of him first."

Kagome merely nodded, moving toward him and starting on his shoulder wound. "I'm glad you found him... alive." She whispered, and Sango strained to hear it. She scooted closer, looking down at Kagome's hands as she worked on his wound.

"Yes, I am too." She paused, looking at the bare ground. "Kagome...?"

Kagome took a moment to respond, keeping her eyes on her patient. "Yes?"

"I'm... I'm sorry." Kagome's hands stopped. "I shouldn't have been so hard on you, especially since you were trying to help me." The words came out quickly, barely audible.

Kagome nodded and smiled softly, movement coming back into her hands. "It's okay, I understand."

Sango smiled in reply, feeling a bit more comfortable. She waited as Kagome finished dressing Miroku's wounds, which were less drastic than what she first thought. There were no broken bones, just cuts and such. His breathing returned to normal after a while, which immensely relieved the two girls, and Kagome retreated the gash on Sango's stomach.

"Thank you, Kagome. For everything." Sango said, smiling at her from Miroku's side as the miko returned the supplies to her backpack.

She laughed, closing the top. "Don't mention it. Inuyasha's the one you should thank."

"Actually, I did. Of course, he didn't accept it."

Kagome laughed lightly again and settled next to Shippou, drawing him into her lap. "Of course." She yawned, hugging the kitsune slightly as her eyes drifted closed. "Good night."

"'Night." Sango muttered, resting against a tree near Miroku. She sat up for a while, contemplating over the thousands of questions running through her mind, left with no answer. She noticed his hair, how it had been pulled from its bounds. It looked a lot different when it wasn't held up. She noticed his tattered robes, gashes everywhere and clean bandages in their place. The last thing she noticed, before drifting to sleep, was his gloved hand.

* * *

Okay, this thing will end either in the next chapter or the one after that, but I'm betting on the next one. Thanks for the reviews, guys; they really make my day when I read them, even if you're saying I'm evil! So, with that said, review! 


	15. The Games We Play

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...

Hello, everyone! Sorry I couldn't get this up sooner with the starting of school. This is the final chapter of "I Don't Know You Anymore!!" and I just have to say ARIGATOU to you, my wonderful readers and reviewers! I'm glad that you all liked this story, and I sincerely hope that you like the ending as well. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 15:  
The Games We Play

Miroku felt a set of hands on his arm, a voice in his ears. He tried desperately to open his eyes, though they stayed sealed shut. Instead, he listened to the voice.

"... I know that you're going to say that it wasn't my fault, but I'm taking the chance now, Miroku. It _is_. You wouldn't be half dead right now if it weren't for me... But, then again, I wouldn't be half alive." He squeezed his eyes tighter, trying to open them to see her heavenly face, though they stayed shut. Her hands squeezed his arm, her voice lowering as she continued. "And I know that when you wake up, we'll probably go back to our _game_, but for now, all I want to do is enjoy the fact that you're here... with _me_." She sighed, letting go of his arm, Miroku missing the warmth already.

He heard a rustling and then silence, wondering if she walked away. She then began speaking again. "Miroku, how long will that game go on, anyway? I... I know that we promised that you and I wouldn't... deepen our relationship until Naraku dies, but think of it; people have spent their whole lives searching for him. What are the chances that we'll actually kill him?

"I know that you don't want to cause me any more pain, but what you don't understand is that... every moment I'm not with you, I feel the pain of loss. Every second that I can't see you, I worry that you'll be taken away forever. So, the way I see it, it will hurt me more, seeing you die, without having the chance to _show_ you that... that I love you." He heard her sigh again, then more rustling, before the silence filled his mind once more. She was gone.

'Sango...'

He stayed there, in that spot, her voice running through his head like a rampaging bull.

_"YOU FOOL!" Her voice screamed, grabbing his attention. "You idiot! You're just going to let me go, aren't you! Don't you feel the same way! Don't you want the same thing! What's so wrong with that, Miroku, tell me! What so wrong with wanting to hold me?! Is this really it? After all we've been through, Miroku? Is this really it?_

"How will you die, Miroku? **How will you die?!** Will you die due to that blasted hole in your hand? Is that really what you think? More importantly, Miroku, is that all you think of? Leave your death to someone else, Miroku! Don't sit there half dead already! Run after me! Run! Miroku, I can't live without you! Run! Please, Miroku! I need you and know that you need me!"

He flinched, a pain running through his heart. A _need_. Was that really what it was? A mere need? His eyes shot open, he looked around. The houshi shot up, falling to the ground once more. Only sore, but still so weak. He looked around. Daytime, maybe noon at best. So late. Was it too late? How long had he been sleeping? How long? Somehow though, he felt that he had just woken up from an even greater sleep. His emotions had slept for so long... His mind... How long had he been asleep?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sango walked aimlessly through the trees, keeping her fists balled as branches scraped her face. She soon found herself stumbling into a field of flowers, a giant tree right in the middle of them.

She knelt down, picking a flower, and noticed that it was one of the flowers from the night before; the night that she wished she could erase from her memory forever. She twirled the flower about her fingers, the scent new to her senses. Sango continued walking toward the tree which now stood too tall for her to measure, stopping calmly at the base of it.

She stared into the eyes of the image implanted into the tree, the eyes of the demon that almost killed her and Miroku. Her hand fell to her side, the flower still held. Sango took in the image of Masami, now that there was light to fill her vision. She still looked completely beautiful and perfect, that much Sango would admit. She didn't look as peaceful in the sunlight though, that once calm line on her mouth now stubbornly straight.

There was nothing demonic about this place anymore; even the image in the tree seemed pure. The flowers surrounding this place were... normal, so to speak. Nothing that Sango could sense told her of any danger.

'This is her... Masami.' She told herself, mindlessly placing the flower behind her ear. 'The demon that almost killed me and everything that I live for...' Her eyes roamed the image, though not taking in the features anymore. Her eyes scanned the area behind the tree, though there was still nothing to be seen.

She drew her eyes back to the image, wanting to feel something... anything would help right now. 'Why is it... that I feel no anger? I'm a vengeful person, I know that. Why is it that I can't bring myself to hate her?' She looked down at her hands, one of which was bandaged.

'She caused these wounds,' She dropped her hands, replaying images of Miroku, Kagome, and Inuyasha in her head. 'and she left me those memories.' Her head dropped, a breeze playing slightly with strands of her hair, sending them behind her as the flower flew from behind her ear. She didn't pay much attention, and her hair was down and messy, but she didn't necessarily care about that either. What in the world was this empty feeling? What could it mean?

She heard footsteps behind her, quit, unsteady, indecisive. They stopped as she slowly turned around, preparing for the worst, to have her heart stop. Miroku was near the edge of the flowerbed, bending down to pick up the stray flower that had just fallen to his feet. Sango noticed a slight look of nervousness on his face, as he stared at her while picking up the flower. She ran to him, grabbing his arm for any support she could offer, though it wasn't much. "Miroku, you shouldn't be up! We-"

"I don't want to, either." He whispered, holding her arm lightly. He was no longer looking at her, but to some place off in the distance.

Sango looked behind her, attempting to find what he was staring at. She turned back to him, her head tilted slightly. "Want to... what?" She asked, stepping away ever so slightly.

"Play that game... I don't want to play that childish game of ours anymore either." He smiled softly, pulling her closer. He looked exhausted, she knew that he shouldn't be here, but she couldn't bring herself to send him back. _Not now_. Not now, when they were so close to each other; when they were practically in each others arms.

Sango blushed slightly, turning her head away. 'I didn't know that he was awake!' She shook her head, looking back up at him with wide eyes. Maybe he was talking about something else. "What are you talking about, Miroku?"

He pulled her into a strong embrace, stroking her hair with one hand, his other around her waist. "I love you too, Sango." He whispered into her ear, his lips lingering for a moment as his breathing soothed and scared her at the same time.

Her eyes widened more at this; his words, the ones she'd never thought she'd hear. _Fond of, Care for._ Those were what she would expect to hear.

She pulled back, searching his eyes for something - anything telling her that this was a joke, that this was just part of that foolish routine. She expected so much to see that lecherous grin or that certain look in his eyes. Where was it? His returning gaze only offered love, and, despite herself, she fell back into his arms.

"I'm so sorry... for all that's happened." She snuggled into his chest, a few tears leaking from her eyes. Not many though, no, because they had all dried up the night before, and right now, she couldn't even tell if those tears were of happiness, sadness, anger... it all seemed the same with Miroku... with love. How could she have felt so empty just a moment ago?

He offered no response, for none had to be given. She knew, and he knew, that there was no point in such words, though they had to be given. Some things would never change with her, and this was one of them. _Everything is my fault_ is something that she gained in losing everything, and getting much more.

He continued stroking her back, until she pulled away, using the moment to become bold. She lifted her chin, her lips hovering over his, as she whispered, eyes half closed. "I love you, Miroku. I don't want you to leave me, and I promise... that I won't leave you." And that promise was sealed with a chaste kiss, one so sweet that Sango felt the world stop around her. She knew that he wanted more, and somehow she wanted more, but what could she offer, being so inexperienced?

Miroku pulled away, holding his forehead on top of hers, his eyes closed as he held her closer. "You know I don't want that, Sango," He muttered, pulling apart to brush her bangs away, kissing her forehead lightly. "Until the day I die."

She knew the meaning of his words; the bitter sweet meaning that crushed her heart and sent it soaring at the same time. And he kissed her again, this time filled with the pent up need and want that he had for her. He, too, wanted to prove how much she meant to him, if only they had enough time. If only he were brave enough... to hurt the woman he loved.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Miroku sat in front of the Bone Eaters well, his eyes closed as he listened to nothing in particular.

"Miroku," A voice called to him, and he opened his eyes to Sango standing in front of him.

"Yes?"

"Well, I'd like to know about what happened... to the demon, I mean. We haven't exchanged a word about her yet."

He motioned for her to sit next to him, as she obeyed silently. It had only been two days since the group returned to the village, and Kagome was back in her era, going on about how she lost some school book as she took the hanyou with her. Miroku turned his eyes to the girl next to him, remembering that he had a question to answer.

"You mean Masami, of course." She nodded. "Well, what I believe; is that she tried to save herself." He caught her confused look, continuing. "You see, I think that she was content with dying, that is, until the time had come.

"At the last minute, she tried to save herself from the falling castle, trying to shape it so that it wouldn't kill her. What she did instead though, without knowing it, was save me. It seemed that being so weak, she couldn't do much to the wood. Because she used so much strength, it ultimately killed her. It was a mere stroke of luck though, nothing more."

Sango let his words sink in for a moment, and then turned to him with a finger on her chin. "What about the tree, then?"

"Ah, the tree which bore her image." He sat straight forward and closed his eyes, his hands tucked into his sleeves. "You see, she could control those trees and such with that poison. I believe that instead of decomposing, the wood, which still contained that poison, absorbed her into the bark, which is why her image is in that tree. I would suggest that we destroy it, but there is no point in doing such a thing when there is no demonic aura. She also saved my life, though unintended." There was a brief look on indecision on his face, though he covered it too quickly for Sango to notice.

Sango nodded, though he didn't see it. "I believe I understand that then."

He smiled, turning back toward her. "Of course you do! I'm all-knowing." He stated matter-of-factly.

Sango returned a playful smirk, turning her head away from him. "All knowing of _what_, exactly?" He slipped his hand toward her, inches from her bottom until she grabbed it. "Because the only thing you know of is lechery."

Miroku grinned boyishly in return, massaging his wrist when she let go. "That's no fair, Sango!"

She stood up, turning away from him. "Oh, I believe it's very fair." She sighed, turning back to him, finding him standing right behind her with a serious expression. "What... what happened to the "no more games" agreement?" She asked, pink staining her cheeks at the closeness.

He tilted his head down, a smile playing on his lips. "That's the thing about games, Sango," He cupped her cheek with a hand as he kissed her chastely, pulling away before she could kiss him back. "they're just too much fun to give up playing." And before she could reply, he turned away and walked toward the village.

She continued staring after him, her cheeks pink and her smile sweet, completely stunned.

Yes, he was right, some games _were_ too much fun to give up. She picked up a rock, throwing it at his head and knocking him off balance before he turned back to her. She smirked as he rubbed his head, walking the opposite direction that he was.

'Maybe we'll give them up some other time.' She thought, giggling slightly at the childishness of it all. One day though, she knew that they would be able to be together, in this life time or the next, without any consequence. That much, she was certain.

* * *

I hope that you guys were satisfied with the ending. Please review everyone! Thank you again for supporting this despite the slow updates, I know how annoying they can be. Remember to come back for the epilogue! 


	16. Epilogue

**I Don't Know You Anymore!!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Epilogue

Sango smiles as she catches a glimpse of Miroku from above, waving his goodbye to her. Only three months had passed since the death of Masami, but their bond had grown none the less. Sango had felt the air around them to be easier to breathe, and found that she could still be close to him.

She was traveling on Kirara, visiting Kohaku again. She had kept herself hidden from the boy of course, but she still checked up on him, recently finding out where he lives.

She and Kirara land on the outskirts of an abandoned village and she leaves Kirara, running off to a gap in the wall where she could always find him. Apparently Kagura keeps some sort of an eye on him. But Sango just wants to see him alive, because even still, while Naraku's controlling him, she can still see life in the boy's eyes; and there it is. He's swinging his chained scythe, practicing with it, though she sees not much fault in his tactics. He's gotten so much better. She sighs; thinking about the past as she mindlessly watches the boy.

Despite the short period of time, somehow news spread of the demon that could control people using flowers, and some myths seemed to be made of her. Some say that she still lives, protecting the forest that had saved her life. Others say that her ways never changed, and she still hunts people as she did before. Other more farfetched ones say that her flowers no longer grant her control over humans' bodies, and instead are mere signs; that a single flower will suddenly blossom right in front of the door of a house, warning of the deception of a loved one.

Still, the group has yet to encounter her again. Even more so, they visit the tree, - where Masami and her powers were sealed - and she's still within the bark.

Leaves have yet to grow on the tree though.

Sango decides now is a good point to head back, seeing that her brother is fine. She still feels that tug at her heart though - the one telling her to stay. She wants to run up to him and collect him into her arms, but knows she can't. She runs from the spot, gets back on Kirara, and takes off once more without a word.

Besides knowing where Kohaku is, the group knows where Naraku is as well, but they won't fight him yet. They know that they're not strong enough, so they're getting stronger. They're just waiting for that day to come, when Inuyasha finishes his sword training, and they can approach that final battle with Naraku. They'll be there soon.

As the wind blows by her face, the usual small bits of tears fall from her cheeks. She doesn't wipe them away anymore. She knows that they'd keep coming anyway.

Though, despite that depressing thought, she's content. Her brother is fine, living well considering his conditions. She's happy with the turn of events, being closer to Miroku and knowing that he'll be alive for her after this. She doesn't even doubt that he'll die anymore. He's too strong to do that.

She and Kirara land once more, and she now wiped the tears from her face before walking back to the camp-site. She sees Inuyasha walking back from the opposite direction, grinning widely with obvious good news. Knowing that, she quickens her pace and sits between Kagome and Miroku as he talks.

Inuyasha sat down in front of them, stabbing the sword into the ground. "There's not much more time." he says, moving his eyes from one person to the next. "I'm not there yet, but within the month we'll be fighting Naraku in our final battle."

* * *

Okay, there's the epilogue for you! I'm decently pleased with it, and if it's not obvious enough, I do plan on a sequel. Expect that sometime in December, January at the worst. If you're interested in that just check back by then and it will probably be up. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you liked this story, hopefully you'll enjoy the next one as well, if not even more.

That's it for me, so, for the last time, please review! Haha. It'll just make me happy.


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